


On The Outside: Lapse in Judgement

by DawnBently



Series: On the Outside [1]
Category: Incarceron Series - Catherine Fisher
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-05
Updated: 2012-06-06
Packaged: 2017-11-06 21:44:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 29
Words: 78,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/423591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnBently/pseuds/DawnBently
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After one year on the Outside, Finn has retained his place on the throne of the Realm with Claudia, Attia, and Keiro to guide him. When the Kingdom to the North disapproves of Claudia, the long time rumored to-be Queen, Finn must put his diplomatic skills to the test or risk war within his short reign.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She couldn't remember how it had happened. She definitely had given the beginning of their shared night some thought, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember the beginning. She recalled the feel of his hand on her waist as they moved near the center of the dance floor. Why had they been dancing together again? She had no idea. Claudia and Finn were dancing together next to them, she knew. Claudia, for some unknown reason, had worn a dress from the Era. Attia thought it was odd since that night's ball had been thrown in celebration of abolishing Protocol. Her own sleek dress made of satin was hung unceremoniously over the back of chair on the other side of her bedchamber. The lack of unnecessary materials and corset as well as the clean lines, had made her dress style especially popular among women in the last few months. Though Protocol hadn't been official removed until last night, it hadn't been enforced since Finn had been made King. Claudia wasn't yet his Queen, but she was already treated as such. Perhaps it was fitting, Attia thought, all her ill thoughts of Claudia by now faded away. 

Keiro groaned as he rolled over on her bed, still asleep and unashamedly undressed. Her thoughts were violently pulled back to the memory of their night. She was sure she was missing something more than just the beginning. She remembered dancing with him, but didn't know why. She remembered his hands on her waist and how gracefully he managed to move beside her. He'd always been graceful in Incarceron, but grace exhibited while cursing and/or attacking another person wasn't the same as grace shown through dance steps in Attia's mind. Actually, she was surprised he'd actually showed up to the ball at all. Had there been a reason for that as well, which she now could not recall? 

"Stop mumbling to yourself. It's very unbecoming," Keiro mumbled into his pillow, as though that was perfectly acceptable in terms of attractiveness and social etiquette. Did social etiquette apply to had-been rivals who had just spent the night ravishing each other? Attia never had much experience in the realm of romance to really know, but she was sure romance in Incarceron was fairly different on the Outside. 

"Get out," Attia told him strongly as she started to push on his bare back, though it did nothing and Keiro remained laying exactly where he was. "Right now."

"I'm tired," he replied as though that was a perfectly acceptable reason to lounge around in somebody else's bed wearing nothing but their sheets. "You used up a lot of my energy."

"Oh god," Attia controlled her gag reflex as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and quickly left the space immediately around Keiro. She had taken one of the sheets with her, unskillfully attempting to wrap it around her own naked form. Was there a reason they'd ended up in her room instead of his? Hers was closer to the ball room, she thought as she started to collect the clothing she'd wore the night before which was now scattered about the room. She hoped that wasn't the only reason. It made her feel so dirty and cheap. 

"You do realize that sheet is basically see through, right?" 

Well, she did now. 

Turning back, Attia chucked the heel she'd been holding at his head, hoping the heel itself would strike him in the face. He only laughed as he swatted the shoe out of the air like it was some bug bothering him. "Modesty the night after was never one of my favorite traits a girl could have, but you do make it a kind of art form." 

"Would you go away!" She had practically yelled at him, and he only laughed away despite her anger. 

"That's not what you wanted last night." 

"You are so annoying," Attia groaned between clenched teeth as she turned her back to him and attempted to rearrange the sheet around her body. Even after having done so, she could see Keiro's gaze following her out of the corner of her eye. He had an annoying smirk across his mouth and she felt like she hadn't fixed anything with the sheet, or worse, she'd left herself more exposed than she had been before. 

She remembered him kissing her when she bent down to pick up the other shoe, which had somehow landed on the other side of the room from the first shoe. He pressed her against the wall in an empty corridor, his lips dominating hers with a force she had actually enjoyed. Did he drug her? It was dirty enough, but he was still Keiro. As many arguments and disagreements they'd had over the years, he surely would not resort to such tactics. And why would he go so far just to have her when he could have nearly any other woman. No, he didn't drug her. 

"What's the matter with your face?" Keiro asked and Attia turned back to him, glaring at him. "It's all twisted up like you're confused or something. I should think everything was fairly straightforward." 

"Why are you still here?" 

"I thought girls liked it when guys stayed the night." That irritating, know-all tone he used was enough to motivate her to commit homicide. Not to mention that half-smile across his face, and the self-satisfied look about him. 

"What girls?" she barked back at him with narrowed eyes. "Surely, I'm not included on this list." 

"It's a general rule." 

"That you've exercised with who, exactly?" 

"Jealous of them?"

Attia let out a half scream as she turned away from him and attempted to calm herself. She collected the heel he'd knocked to the side of the bed and the dress before she walked towards the closet. She was going to store her clothes then begin dressing for the day, but Keiro had once again been successful at distracting her in the worst ways. 

"You don't remember what happened, do you?" 

His ego could've blown the walls out, she was sure. Biting her tongue, she held back her sarcastic remarks as she dropped the pair of heels and the dress into a heap just outside the closet door. She took in a deep breath and rolled her shoulders before she turned back to face him, her best pleasantly confused look across her face. 

"Excuse me?" 

"You. Don't. Remember."

"Of course I remember, you idiot." 

"Then you remember when Claudia and Finn came in and joined us?" 

They hadn't. She was sure. God she hoped she was sure. But her faced had paled before she realized it and Keiro had started to laugh as he rolled back on the bed and stared up at the high ceiling. Attia yelled at him again, before she turned away to her dresser. "You're infuriating." 

"You were probably just so amazed by me that your memory just couldn't handle it."

"Oh god," Attia half muttered and half laughed as a strangled sound had escaped her throat before she could stop it. She hadn't meant to respond to him, but he had truly been ridiculous with that comment. 

"What's your explanation?" he asked, and she got the vague impression he knew why she couldn't recall the night before. 

"I drank too much."

"You didn't like the taste of wine." Ironically, she recalled that. Thinking about how she'd spit up the wine onto his coat, she let out a laugh then looked at his reflection in the long mirror leaned against the far wall. He was laying in the center of her bed, the sheets draped modestly over his waist, though it left his upper body exposed. His rather tan and toned upper body. 

"Then why can't I remember?"

"I don't know," Keiro laughed as he watched her in the mirror as well. "It's early, and you just stressed yourself out about nothing. It'll come back eventually. If I do say so myself, it was quite the memorable evening." 

"Obviously not," she countered in an icy voice before she turned away from the mirror and walked into the closet, shutting the door behind her. She took a moment to take a few deep breaths and steady herself before she focused on choosing an outfit for the day. She had half a mind to go for the newly designed suit for women, but as she stared at it, there was something off putting about the outfit that she couldn't really place. She was only one of the few women at Court who had been given an outfit of that style and design, simply because in the months following Finn's accession designers of new clothing that had been prohibited under Protocol had been rather difficult to find. It seemed everyone had been stuck in history for so long, they'd forgotten how to change and evolve. 

Groaning, Attia pulled the suit from the hanger and began to dress. She knew she was over thinking such a simple thing, just as she was about the matter of Keiro and their night together. He was right. She'd freaked out first thing in the morning and since then, her thought process had been a bit slower than usual. She shook out her hair and looked at herself in the mirror. She had no dark circles under her eyes, and actually looked a little brighter than usual. She knew he was going comment on it, claiming her new charm had something to do with him. Though she was already cursing him for what he hadn't yet said, she couldn't help but wonder if their night had something to do with the brightness in her face. 

After combing out her hair, she left the closet to find Keiro already dressed in his clothes from the night before. He was lounging on the edge of her bed and watched her with narrowed eyes. "What?" 

"Nothing," he answered simply. "Can't I just observe?" 

"No." 

"Funny you didn't say that last night." 

"Would you just leave?" 

"Why are you so on edge? It's really does put a damper on a good morning. You'd think a night like that would de-stress even someone as high strung and on the verge of a fit as you."

"Thank you for such kind words, Keiro," Attia replied sharply as she walked towards the door. "Now you have to leave, because I have to go see Finn and do my job. You know, that thing you never show up for." 

"He's my brother, he doesn't care."

"Last I heard, you weren't crowned a Prince, actually. In fact, the only Prince we have is his step brother, who tried to kill him on more than one occasion. What does that say about you and your relationship?"

"Just because you're bitter doesn't mean you have to lash out," Keiro replied with a shrug like her words hadn't stung at all. Of course, if anyone else had dared to say what she had, he'd have already floored them in a fury. Attia, along with Finn and Claudia, had a bit more room around Keiro, simply because they'd been around longer than anyone else in Keiro's life. He'd never admit he actually liked any of them, except maybe Finn, but Attia wasn't really as willing to admit she liked Keiro's company every so often either. 

"Just because you're in Finn's favor, doesn't mean you never have to show up to meetings or even just to say 'hi' to Finn." Attia started to walk down the hallway, and Keiro followed her, even though his room was reached faster going the other direction. "Where are you going?"

"To see King Finn of Incarceron." 

"You're such a shit." 

Keiro and Attia's mixed laughter carried down the hallway, but it wasn't laughter like normal friends would share. It carried an edge like Keiro and Attia could at any moment turn on one another in a quite common disagreement. Keiro stepped back as they reached the door to Finn's usual meeting place where he dealt with all the inner dealings of his daily life. Attia strolled into the room first, eyeing all the Councilmen lining the table. 

"Keiro." Finn looked at his oath-brother with narrowed, confused eyes. "What are you doing here?" Attia laughed and turned to Keiro, only to see his narrowed eyes and cold stare directed back at her. It was like last night never happened at all. 

"Can't I just stop by and see you?" 

"Well, yeah," Finn answered with a shrug. "But you never do. Not even when you're summoned." 

Attia laughed again and had the room not been filled with all the important people who dealt with Finn and the Realm, Keiro would've chucked something at her. If only he had that shoe with the three inch heel. 

"You're still wearing your clothes from last night," one of the men around the table commented as he stared at Keiro with narrowed eyes in confusion. 

"Yeah, is that a problem?" Keiro asked looking back at him. Before he answered, Keiro turned back to Finn and the knowing grin across his royal face. 

"I trust you had a good night, then."

"Like you wouldn't believe."

Turning Finn's attention away from his closest friend, Attia had begun chocking on the water she had attempted to drink just before Keiro's unnecessary comment. She coughed as she turned away from the two men at the head of the table, though Finn was only watching out of concern. It was Keiro who was grinning like an idiot and she wanted to smack it off of his face. 

 

"You alright?" Finny asked.

"Yeah," Attia answered as she cleared her throat, nodded, and turned back to him. She kept her gaze on Finn, avoiding Keiro's at all costs. "Just fine."

"How was your night, then?"

"Incredibly…" Attia paused as she turned to Keiro, watching his face contort as he anticipated her answer. "Boring and uninteresting." The scowl across Keiro's face couldn't have appeared any faster. 

"You had no good company?" Finn asked, his voice showing his disbelief. 

"I had company," Attia replied and Keiro turned away from her to shield his face from everyone else in the room. She was sure the disdain was written clearly across his delicate features, and she couldn't wait to hear what he had to say in response.

"What happened to your date?" Finn asked curiously as the Councilmen started speaking among themselves about the next thing Finn should work on as King. 

"A lovely woman approached me and kindly informed me he was married and that she was his wife," Attia answered, suddenly recalling why she had been free to spend time with Keiro at the ball. 

"Oh," Finn responded as he turned his attention to a piece of paper the man on his right had put in front of him. He hadn't the slightest idea what it was, but after the same man placed a pen in his hand, Finn just signed it, not really caring one way or the other. "So that's why you two were dancing. I was wondering what happened."

"A disaster," Keiro commented and Attia glared at the back of his head. 

"You two seemed good together," Finn replied absentmindedly, paying more attention to the next paper put in front of him. He didn't even notice Keiro and Attia stared holes in his head at the comment he'd made. Finn, utterly delirious, started making conversation with the men around the table, and Keiro and Attia looked at each other, neither with smiles. 

"I'm going to go change," Keiro declared.

"And shower," Attia added as he started to walk away. "You smell."

"And you're what? A rose garden?" Keiro called back without actually turning to look at her.

"Better than a dumpster," Attia replied just before the door shut behind him.

"Never mind. You're not good together at all," Finn amended his comment without looking at Attia, who couldn't believe he'd waited until Keiro left to say it.


	2. Chapter 2

Finn had asked Attia to look into ordering a good number of knives, swords, and daggers, and so she sat in one of the offices that had been completely furnished after the Royal household had been rebuilt. The entire project had been costly, and had taken much longer than it should've but Finn had dedicated large sums of his newly found finances to the rebuilding of buildings other than his own royal household. In fact, the Royal household wasn't yet completed, but had been finished enough to house important people, their family, and hold ceremonial events. 

She took a breath as she sat in the chair behind the desk, then gazed at a photo set in a gold frame on the far corner of the desk. She hadn't a clue as to who the photo belonged to, considering she often shared the office with many others who did work on behalf of Finn, or rather King Giles, a name neither Keiro nor Attia had ever warmed up to. After what felt like ages, a knock came at the door, and a moment later it was opened by one of the stationed guards. A young man, perhaps the same age as Attia, or a few years older, not that she could remember her exact age, walked into the office, the wonder and amazement written across his face and lighting up his eyes. 

"You're not the blacksmith," she accused as she rose an eyebrow at him, not bothering to rise from her seat. His gaze quickly turned from the sole painting on the wall and refocused on Attia at the other end of the long room. 

"He's my father," he explained as he continued to step towards the desk. Attia watched him in silence as she noticed the gentle handsomeness of the line of his face. His features were sharply defined, and his hands were rough, an indication of a lifetime of labor, yet it was clear to Attia he'd never seen the hardships she—as well as Finn and Keiro—had seen in their short years. 

"Well, where is your father, then?" Attia's tone softened slightly as the man stopped at the front of the desk and peered down at the woman, his gaze as gentle as his face appeared. 

"The stove in the nearby village cracked this morning," he answered as he folded his hands behind his back. All the men at Court did that—all except Keiro. It was considered a stance of honor and respect, and yet it looked as odd to Attia as it did to Keiro and Finn. She had long ago accepted that the three would never completely adapt to life Outside, no matter how hard Finn tried. He certainly did a much better job than she and Keiro ever had, but he had Claudia to inspire and help him. At this point, Attia seemed most tied to Keiro, no matter how sickening the thought and it certainly wasn't a connection which lead to adaption to Court life and general life on the Outside. 

"With no stove, there's no food," the man said when Attia only stared at him, lost in her own thoughts.

"No, of course. I understand," she quickly responded as she nodded and rose to her feet. Her legs had caught his attention and his eyes had lingered on them for a moment longer than they should have. She assumed he'd probably never seen a woman wearing anything other than a dress before. Pants on a woman caused quite the stir in the world so accustomed to history. Attia preferred them, having worn them, or shorts, her entire life. Dress and skirts lead to immediate death in Incarceron. At least it had back then. Nobody could escape anything in a dress or skirt, let alone heels. But Attia found she truly liked the added height to her short frame. 

"He said I only needed to pick up an order, anyway."

"Well yes, but there is the matter of price," Attia answered as she looked down and retrieved her leather bound notebook and folder. It was the black leather book, the one dedicated to Finn's royal orders of food, weaponry, furniture, clothes, and anything else his royal heart might need. As she flipped through the stored pages, she retrieved the receipt from the last order they'd placed with the blacksmith located in the village nearest to Court. "On the last order, your father charged twenty pieces per dagger, but we only ordered ten. This time the order is for forty, and I won't be willing to pay any more than fifteen piece per dagger. Materials needed for each dagger cost only five as of this morning, and prices aren't expected to raise anytime in the near future, leaving you with a ten piece profit each." 

Silence followed Attia's finical explanation, as she peered back up at him after setting the receipt down on the desk and turned it so that it was right side up for the man to read. He glanced down at the fancy sheet of paper for only a moment before he looked back up again. 

"You can't read," Attia surmised as she shut the leather book with the hand clutching the spine. 

"I was only directed to pick up an order."

"Can your father read?"

"The owner of the Inn reads in the village. Everyone takes any legal documents, or anything written to him and he reads it to us, and writes our responses. Been like that for years."

Attia nodded, hiding her astonishment at the primitive practice well. She'd gone from the worst of environments, Incarceron during it's prison stage, to the best lifestyle possible, life at Court. She'd never experienced anything in-between. 

"So I can give you a written copy of our order, and what we'd like to pay for everything, and your father can send a written response?"

"Yes, that can be managed," he nodded, holding her gaze with his. 

"He's free to negotiate the prices, however, the King's royal funds aren't nearly as supplied as many would think. We've spent more than we could afford."

"Understood," the man replied, the smile across his lips giving Attia reason to pause. She narrowed her eyes at him a moment, until his smile widened and he spoke again. "The King rebuilt our village after everything was destroyed when Protocol died. Gave us a house to live in for free." 

Attia smiled at him before she looked down at the pad and lifted the quill pen to begin writing the order. Her hand had begun to ache after only a few sentences, since she'd never really become accustomed to writing. She'd only knew how to read a minimal amount after Escaping, and the best Sapien tutors Claudia could find had taught her everything and quickly. Still, writing was a chore. Nearly half way through, her hand paused and she stared down at the sheet of paper, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. She couldn't remember how to write a word. 

"Are you finished?" he asked, curiously, as he watched her. Attia shook her head as she continued writing, leaving a small space between where she had stopped and started writing again. As sudden half, almost maniacal, laugh escaped her, she went back to the empty spot and filled it in with the word she'd been searching for. She didn't bother glancing up at the blacksmith's son, suddenly aware he was witnessing her momentary break with sanity. After a few more lines, Attia replaced the quill pen to its holder then blew on the wet ink to set it on the paper. She folded it and from the top drawer of the desk, she retrieved an envelope. After putting the paper into the envelope, she sealed it with Finn's Royal seal, then finally met the man's eyes when she handed it to him. 

"Who should I bring the response to the attention of?" he asked, politely, as he gently took the letter from her fingers, his eyes holding her gaze.

"Me," Attia answered simply as she broke eye contact and shut the desk drawer. She gathered Finn's financial records folder in one arm, while her other hand searched her pocket for her silver watch. Finn had a scheduled lunch in two hours, but Keiro always needed ample time to prepare himself and get the obnoxious behaviors out of his system. Then, Claudia had asked her for an opinion or two on her outfit for the state sponsored lunch. When the two Lords, from the northern area of the Realm, arrived in an hour, Attia needed to be present to welcome them and show them to their rooms. 

"And your name?" the man's voice pulled Attia from her thoughts, and she turned to look at him, slightly embarrassed she hadn't mentioned it until he asked. 

"Attia," she said simply, but the man's questioning gaze did not leave her face. 

"Just Attia?" he replied as his eyes started to narrow. "No last name?"

"No," Attia said as she lowered her gaze. The lack of a surname was the most immediate marker of an Escaped Prisoner. "I imagine there had been one before, but it's been lost in the last one-hundred and fifty years," she added, taking the guessing out of his stare. 

He only nodded slowly, a smile forming across his lips. "I'm William. William Silvers." 

"Shall I expect you with the response?" Attia asked as she rose an eyebrow at him. Her free hand was skillfully locking the second drawer on the right side of the desk, the drawer than belonged solely to her. 

"Yes," William answered with a nod, and Attia smiled at him before she motioned to the door. 

"Perfect. If you'll excuse me, I have some other things to attend to. I trust you can find your way?" 

"Perfectly," he answered, but Attia had already passed him on her way to the door. She was almost at a run as she moved down the corridor, the on-duty guards moving to the walls to let her pass. They weren't supposed to ever leave their stations, but they were in the wing of the Royal household that was not yet inhabited. The building had been built, but those rooms had not been furnished yet. In essence, they were protecting nothing but four walls, each. Attia didn't really care they were gambling away their little pay, and trading secrets. On more than one occasion, she'd actually joined them, missing the lack of duty and responsibility Incarceron had provided. 

Eventually, she reached the door to Keiro's private room, and let herself in. It wasn't as though he had ever been too respectful of anyone else's privacy. "Oh god," Attia groaned as she shielded her eyes and turned away. "What are you doing!" 

"Suddenly shy?" Keiro's voice carried through the room. Attia, facing the wall, could hear the smirk on his face, but kept her gaze away from his naked form. 

"Put clothes on, right now, Keiro," Attia told him through gritted teeth. "We have lunch with the Northern Lords in two hours, and you have to be there. They've requested your presence."

"Really?" Keiro asked, his voice piped in interest. Slowly, Attia dared to peer over her shoulder, relieved to find Keiro had found a pair of pants to pull on. 

"Yes. They said something about wanting to know who had the biggest pull on King Giles," Attia responded, her voice sounding only slightly bitter when speaking Finn's official name. 

"Then dear Claudia will be there too," Keiro commented, and Attia nodded.

"You have to behave yourself. No excessive drinking. No swearing, no threatening of any kind. No bargaining for anything. No gloating about how you're a thousand times better than everyone else. Understood?" 

"You think I'm a thousand times better than everyone?"

"Oh god, you're so self-centered," Attia sighed as she held his gaze. "Do you ever get over yourself?"

"You've been bitter since that night, did you know?" 

"I don't know what you're talking about," Attia answered as she shrugged a turned away. At what point exactly did Keiro become so attuned to the behavior and feelings of people other than himself?

"Really?" Keiro had stepped towards her, his lips just outside her ear. Even as his words and breath touched her ear, she hadn't jumped. She could feel a grin forming across his lips, but she ignored it as much as she could. 

"Get dressed, and let's go. I'm busy today."

"Doing what, exactly?" he asked after stepping away from her. Her back was still to him, and so she had not expected him to pull the black leather folder from under her arm and opened it up. 

"Keiro!" 

"What is all this, anyway?" he asked as he started to flip through the pages. 

"Don't mix anything up," Attia threatened as she held out her hand, waiting for him to replace the book to her fingers. "Put on your shirt and coat, and meet Finn in his room." 

"I really wish you would stop being so bitter and mad all the time," Keiro commented as he shut the book and put it in her hand. "Nothing's changed." 

Attia wanted to hold his gaze, appearing as though she either didn't know what he was talking about, or didn't care. But of course, her outward appearance had responded to his commented. 

"Really?" 

"Ok, so," Keiro cleared his throat, grinned, and shrugged his shoulders before he lowered his eyes to her form. "A few things have changed, like now I know exactly what you've been hiding under there." 

Attia groaned and Keiro met her gaze, chuckling to himself. "But, nothing else is different. You're still just as annoying as you were before."

"And you're still conceited. Glad to know the world still spins." 

"So clever," Keiro muttered before he rolled his eyes and turned away to pick up the shirt laid out on the edge of his bed. He had started to button it from the top, but had somehow managed to miss a button by the time he was half way through. Attia groaned as she stepped forward and had begun to button the shirt for him, starting from the bottom. Keiro, who was just standing in front of her, started to pull on the bottom of her shirt, but Attia had quickly slapped his hand away. He only began to laugh as she stepped away from him after the shirt was completely buttoned. She tossed the coat his direction and started towards the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked curiously as he laid the coat on the edge of the bed, then leaned against the bed before he met her gaze. 

"Finn's lunch, Keiro," she replied in a strong tone.

"In two hours," Keiro replied as he shrugged and folded his arms across his chest. 

"You can't be serious," Attia muttered as she stared across the room at him. Keiro's grin in response, effectively answered her. "I have things to do." 

"Is that your only excuse?" Keiro laughed as he started to cross the room, refusing to stop even as he reached her. Attia had begun to step away from him, but she had eventually reached the wall, and Keiro only grinned as he pinned her against it. 

She could recall, all too clearly, the feel of Keiro's body pinning her against the stone wall of the empty corridor perhaps only a week ago. His lips against hers, against her neck. His hands on her waist, on her bare skin. 

"Keiro, no," Attia told him as she reached up to her hand on his chest, but even she didn't believe herself. He put his hands on her waist, and through the thin white shirt, she could see his muscles flexing for a moment before he lifted her small frame off of the ground. All thoughts of reason and logic had left her, and she wrapped her legs around his body as he closed what little space was between their bodies. He pressed his lips to hers, and she had eagerly responded to the kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

Attia had forced herself to change into a dress, despite how she hated such archaic fashions. Though she didn't wear her single Era dress, it was still a design better known as a historical one, complete with a corset and all. Though she would've been perfectly comfortable in her pants, Claudia had pointed out women in dresses, especially the most important women, would put the Northern Lords at ease. It was difficult to accept, but Attia knew she was right, and so, as she walked towards Finn's personal room, she fidgeted with her corset, hating the feel of it constricting her upper body. It wasn't even completely laced up, since she refused to let anybody help her dress. In fact, Attia and Keiro were the only ones who did not have anybody to serve them. They refused it. 

She barged into the room, quickly shutting the door behind her. Ignoring Finn's shirtless state, Attia approached him and Keiro, before she turned her back to the two men. "Somebody lace me up," she demanded, and a moment of silence followed as Finn and Keiro eyed each other curiously. 

"Don't you have someone to help with this?" Finn asked and Attia looked at him over her shoulder. 

"I refuse to let anybody help me dress."

"Isn't that what I'm doing now?" Keiro asked smugly, and Attia turned away from Finn before he could see the embarrassment across her face. Keiro's nimble fingers skillfully laced the corset and tied it tightly, ignoring Attia's grunt when it pulled it too tight. 

"A little breathing room, please?" Attia snapped but Keiro only laughed as he secured the knot and spun her around. 

"I'm sure Claudia doesn't need any breathing room," Keiro commented, and Attia met him with a cold stare. 

"Shame I can't keep up with the girl who has everything," Attia replied sharply before she turned her gaze to Finn. "Will you be ready in time?" 

"Yeah," he answered with a slight shrug of his shoulders. In one hand, he was holding a shirt, one all three felt was far too embellished, but it was the symbol of royalty. "Is Casper supposed to be there?" 

"Well, what Casper does and what he's supposed to do are two separate things." 

"Then why am I here?" Keiro demanded as he turned to Attia, her narrowed eyes, keeping him more or less in check. Of course, since the two had shared a rather passionate and intimate moment perhaps half an hour ago, he was a bit more open to her demanding stares. 

"Because both of you can't go around doing whatever you want at the same time," Attia answered sharply. "And you're far less annoying to get into fancy clothes and sit still for a two hour lunch than Casper is. Have you ever heard that man whine like a child? It makes me want to saw my ears off." 

"You're not wearing shoes," Keiro replied and Attia only stared at the man, wondering exactly when he'd lost his mind. Certainly, it had been within the last half hour. Only a sane man could drive her to the heights Keiro was so utterly capable of. Not that she had any intention of making him aware of that, if he didn't already know.

"What?" Attia finally asked as the cold edge to her words and gaze faded into pure confusion. 

"You don't make any noise when you walk. Those ridiculous shoes you all torture yourselves with, they click with every step. And you're not so talented in them to walk as quietly as you are right now," Keiro answered, not even noticing Finn, standing off to the side. As Finn was pulling his shirt on, he couldn't help but muse how easily Attia and Keiro could quip and banter with one another. They traded clever remarks faster and better than anybody else at Court. 

"Maybe I'm not wearing heels, Keiro," Attia answered, her narrowed eyes sudden appearing more defensive than confused. 

"You're not wearing anything. Look at how short you are," he laughed as he let his gaze travel down her form, and for once, Attia was glad she wore the dress she did. It did not hug her body, leaving Keiro gazing at just the outline the dress created instead of her actual curves. Not that he didn't know what those looked like anyway. 

"I'm wearing shoes, Keiro."

"You're so tiny. I forgot how small you were." Keiro laughter grated on Attia's nerves, but some part of her so enjoyed the argument with him. Something about it was different, and she hadn't the slightest idea what had changed. Arguing with Keiro had never been anything but annoying and time-consuming. Had it been just that, she'd have already confessed to going barefoot, but now her pride got in the way. 

"I'm not that small, Keiro."

"It's really not that convincing when I can see right over your head. Just admit it. You're taking full advantage of you long dress, here." Keiro stepped towards her, and dramatically compared his tall frame to her small one, before he reached down and pulled on the skirt of her dress. She hit the back of his hand before she met his gaze. Even though Keiro was a good foot taller than her, her unwavering gaze was far more intimidating than his stature. 

"Even if I'm not wearing shoes, how many knives do you think I can hide under all this cloth?" 

Keiro's expression faltered for just a moment before he met her gaze and held it. "I think you're bluffing."

"How much are you willing to bet on that?" Attia breathed back, her lips twisting into a smirk that was almost cruel. After a moment, Keiro stepped back from her and swung his head in an effort to flip his long blonde hair from his eyes. 

"Attia," Finn called, pulling her attention away from Keiro. Though he hadn't won anything, his smug grin was ever present across his lips. "Can I ask your opinion on something?" 

"Sure, Finn. What is it?" Attia asked calmly as she averted her eyes from Keiro and brushed passed him, effectively ignoring him. She approached Finn, who was retrieving something from one of the drawers on the desk near the window. Behind her, Attia could feel Keiro moving closer, but she tried not to pay any attention to him. He'd already gotten far too much of her attention lately. 

"What do you think of this?" Finn asked as he turned back around, a small gold ring sitting in the palm of his hand. Attia, stunned into silence, only stared at the ring. She didn't take it from him until Finny held it between his fingers and handed it to her. She refocused her attention and narrowed her eyes at the diamond set in the gold. On each side of the diamond, small red jewels, probably rubies, were set. 

"It's…" Attia shrugged before she looked up at Finn. "I don't think I'm the right one to ask, Finn," she admitted.

"Why on earth not?" he replied as he stared at her. "You're a woman, aren’t you?" 

"Well, yes, but…" Attia's voice had softened as she directed her eyes on the ring again. She had no doubt it was meant for Claudia. "It's beautiful, Finn, but everything here is to me. The smallest fake diamond is more beautiful than anything we ever had Inside. All of this is just… I guess, the women here don't know how to appreciate things that they've always had." 

The room remained quiet as Attia slowly extended her arm, waiting for Finn to take the ring from her. The two men knew the truth to her words, since they too were easily amazed by things that were rather common to those who'd never seen Incarceron at its worst. "But it's wonderful," Attia added as Finn replaced the ring to the desk drawer. 

"It was expensive." 

"I imagine," Attia laughed as she turned away from Finn, her eye focusing on the scene the window overlooked. In the distance, she could see the dust from the coach and horses. She assumed it was the Northern Lords, who would be arriving any minute. "They'll be here soon. I'll see you two in a bit," she told them simply as she turned away and started towards the door. 

"Are you wearing shoes?" Keiro yelled, but Attia only waved her arm back at him before she shut the door behind her, still leaving him without an answer. 

The lunch was to be held in one of the larger offices, but Claudia had arranged for the office furniture to be removed. Instead, a long table was placed in the room, and ten chairs were placed carefully around it, though only six people were expected to attend the lunch. Finn was seated at the head of the table, Claudia on his right. Keiro was on his left, and when Attia arrived with the two Northern Lords, she would be seated on the other side of Claudia. Unexpectedly, Prince Casper strode into the room, receiving only blank stares from the three already in the room. Quickly rearranging themselves, Keiro moved down one seat, though not without protest, and Casper was seated on the left of Finn. Even he complained, claiming the King's brother should be on the right. Once the double doors opened, Casper quickly silenced himself, and the four looked to Attia, who lead the two men into the room. 

"Your Majesty," the two men bowed to Finn, but Attia remained standing up straight off to the side of them. Only Keiro noticed her rolling her eyes, and once the men directed their attention to her again, a quickly smile spread across her lips and she motioned for them to take their seats. How talented she was at masking her true self behind the necessities of Court. 

"My Lords," Claudia smiled at the men then raised her hand as she motioned to the one seated closest to Finn. "Giles, this is Lord Scotts. He governs the Northeastern lands, including the mountainsides. Lord Kingston owns the lands due north of Court and pieces of the western lands. He mostly has plains for farming and animal raising. They haven't been to Court since your coronation."

As Finn and the two lords looked at each other, Attia took her seat quietly on the other side of Claudia, her eyes watching Casper curiously. It was already one in the afternoon. She'd expected him to be nearly drunk with any number of maid hands by then. 

"Court is beautiful, Your Majesty. Not quite what it was before, but considering what you had to work with, it's more than I expected," Lord Scotts commented as he looked straight at Finn. Claudia and Attia couldn't help but feel the underhanded insult to the words, but Finn kept his face still as he accepted the compliment. Even Keiro could hear the snide remark hidden within the kind words, but his sneer was perfectly visible to everyone in the room until Attia met him with a cold stare. He lifted his cup to cover half his face as he took a drink, and as he replaced the cup to the table top, his emotionless Court face was in place. 

Claudia had once said Court was different since Finn had taken power, and in effect, Keiro and Attia had gained their power, but the three couldn't help but feel it was as cold and calculating as she said it had been before. 

"I trust your finances haven't been as affected as everyone else's," Lord Kingston chuckled as he started to sip from his own cup. 

"Actually, they are," Attia said boldly. Keiro rose an eyebrow as he watched Attia, seated across from him, with new found interest. "We've financed the rebuilding of Court as well as the nearby villages to help get normal life started again since Protocol has essentially blown up." 

Claudia hid her amused smirk behind her napkin, and Finn cleared his throat so keep his smile from appearing. Casper didn't seem to know what was going on, and Keiro made no attempt to hide his grin whatsoever. 

"We've received donations from many of the Lords, Dukes, Ladies, and whatnot over the last few months, but you two have remained rather… out of touch," Attia added as she shifted her gaze from one Lord to the other, then back again. 

"It certainly isn't our duty to fix whatever problems the Royal family has created for themselves, now is it? But, my lady, our interest is in the King, not the company he chooses to keep." 

Attia smiled at them, but nobody in the room was foolish enough to think it was a warm one. As she leaned back in her seat, she raised her hand to call over the wait staff, and had her cup filled. A few minutes later, the staff strode into the room carrying seven plates and set one down in front of each person seated at the table. 

"Have you yet separated your personal finances from the royal ones, Your Majesty?" Lord Scotts asked as he peered up at Finn. Attia kept her gaze on her food as she took slow bites. When she peered up, she found Keiro's gaze on her, but she held it for only a moment. 

"I have," Finn answered with a slight nod. 

"How are they faring, then?" 

Silence followed before Finn turned to Attia. Acting confused, Attia slowly peered up and kept her gaze on Finn. He knew she was making a point. Clearing his throat he motioned to the two Lords, and Attia directed her attention to them. 

"What was the question?" she asked, sounding rather innocent as she set her fork down to the side of the plate and politely folded her hands on her lap. Keiro had started to laugh, but covered it with a forced cough he directed into his napkin. He'd never been so well behaved in his life, and he hope Attia was paying close attention. He definitely wanted something out of it. 

"The King's finances," Lord Scotts replied before he cleared his throat and rose his eyebrow at Attia. 

"Faring well, actually, My Lords," Attia answered, her usual business-like tone returning to her. "Neither his personal accounts, nor his business related ones, have been depleted if that's what you're asking. Though I must assume they don't hold a candle to your own accounts. From what I can figure, you two do keep impeccable records, and have not missed a month's rent from any of your tenets, even when nobody had a gold coin to give to anyone." 

The Lords directed their gazes to their lunches, but Attia kept her gaze on them. 

"It's comforting to know, such good staff has been hired to serve you, King Giles," Kingston commented as he ignored Attia's gaze and looked up at Finn. "It seems your finances are well kept, though the choice of a woman is questionable." 

Attia would've commented, but Finn turned to her, one eyebrow only slightly higher than the other. She bit her tongue as she turned her attention to her food, determined to get through the lunch without an outburst. 

"It's only questionable because you refuse to teach any of them how to read," Keiro commented, the harshness of his words rending an edge to his voice unnecessary. "And exactly what is the purpose of that? A world doomed to live in a history book forever, only men in power? And then what? They can't argue with you effectively? And we all know that's best way to things started." 

If at any moment, the floor could open and swallow her, Attia knew it couldn't be too soon. She could also settle for it swallowing just Keiro. 

"Well, Sir Keiro," Kingston turned his cold gaze to Keiro. "Only the decisions and opinions of the high ranking have any real weight to them."

"Interestingly enough," Attia spoke, but neither Lord dared turn in her direction. "His Grace, Keiro was elevated to High Duke of the Realm last month out of good favor of the King. That particular title, historically given to the King's closest friend, makes him a higher rank than each of you." 

"Well, isn't this just good fun," Casper commented sarcastically before his finished his drink and motioned for another. "Attia, darling, you know how to put up a fight don't you?"

"You're drunk, Casper," Attia reminded him, desperately hoping his reference to a fight had nothing to do with the kind of fight Keiro was so interested in. "Remember our little agreement?" 

"I'm not drunk just yet, sweets." 

"Well, if you have nothing to contribute to the conversation, perhaps you would like to enjoy the rest of the afternoon elsewhere," Attia suggested and Casper flashed his boyish grin in her direction. 

"How could I contribute anything to the conversation when you just handed them their manhood on a silver platter with an order of bruised ego on the side?" 

"Prince Casper." Claudia could barely keep her laughter from showing in her voice as she called Casper's attention away from Attia. "I think there's a maid hand that could use your distraction from the mundane task of her daily chores." 

"There's plenty of those, darling," Casper answered as he lifted his cup from the table and rose from the table without waiting to be dismissed by Finn as custom dictated. He left the room, but as the door was closing behind him, a messenger slipped into the room. 

"Your Majesty," the messenger lowered his gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry to interrupt. There's something that requires your attention, My Lady Attia."

"Of course," Attia nodded before she turned to Finn, who only nodded at her. He knew she was only looking to him because the two Lords were present. She rose to her feet before she turned to Keiro. "Would you care to assist me?" she asked gently. 

"God, yeah," Keiro scoffed as he stood up and quickly escaped the room with Attia. Nobody had noticed how his hand rested on the small of her back as they escaped and left Finn and Claudia with the two Lords.


	4. Chapter 4

"They're a bloody nightmare," Attia groaned as she walked through the open-air corridors surrounding the largest Courtyard adjacent to the main building of Court. Claudia, wearing a more casual dress compared to her usual attire, strode beside her, laughing. 

"They'll be leaving a few days, Attia," Claudia reminded her, but Attia only groaned again. She rolled her shoulders to relax her muscles but it had little or no effect on her mood. 

"Kingston demanded a copy of Finn's ledger this morning," Attia told her as she turned to face Claudia. "He just walked into my office when someone else was using it. Then when he finally found me, declared that sharing an office with three other people was utterly unheard of and basically barbaric." 

Claudia stifled a laugh as the two women continued their walk. "Yes well, I have a feeling their manors aren't nearly as impeccable as they make them out to be. The Wardenary is in shambles compared to what it was before." 

The two continued walking in peaceful quiet until the unmistakable sound of a messenger's footsteps running down the corridor made them pause. Both were equally worried the young man was coming to retrieve them and forced them back into the daily tasks. 

"My Lady, Attia," the boy's voice called, and she groaned as she turned back to him, ignoring Claudia's grateful smile that she still had a few more moments to herself. 

"Yes?" Attia asked, desperately hoping he didn't want anything other than to deliver a message, thus leaving her free to wander the Courtyard a bit longer in Claudia's company. 

"Sir William arrived at Court a few moments ago. He requested your presence to discuss the matter of the King's order you placed with him." 

"William?" Claudia asked with a laugh and Attia only gave her a glance before she turned to the messenger. 

"Would you happen to know if my office is in use, right now?"

"It's empty."

"Have him wait there, then. I'll be there in a moment. Thank you," Attia told him and he nodded before he scurried away. 

"William?" Claudia repeated as Attia turned back to her. "As in, the blacksmith's handsome son?"

"You know him?" Attia asked, unable to stop the smile from forming across her lips. 

"I've dealt with him on occasion," Claudia admitted as she shrugged slightly, as though she were attempting to make her association with William less important. 

"Oh really?" Attia asked, her tone showing exactly what she thought of Claudia's needless downplay. 

"He's only sent out when his father is busy with something else. What happened to him?" Claudia asked curiously as she held Attia's gaze.

"The village stove cracked."

"Well, lucky you," Claudia laughed before she turned away from Attia and began to walk down the path. She could hear Attia's laugh before her footsteps started in the opposite direction. It had taken her only a few minutes to reach her office, where she found William studying the knife on display in a glass case. It was on a table pushed against the wall opposite where the painting hung, but unlike the painting, the knife had no tag or description explaining what it was. 

"Sir William," Attia said as she strode into the room and shut the door behind her. "I wasn't expecting you so soon." William turned quickly, then paused as he looked at Attia, still wearing a corset style dress to keep the Northern Lords from complaining about another matter. 

"My father would like to amend the prices for the swords from thirty pieces to forty," William finally said once Attia reached the desk and unlocked the drawer on the right side of the desk using a small silver key she'd produced from the chain hanging around her neck. 

"Fine," Attia replied with a shrug as she pulled over the chair and began to flip through the pages in the black leather-bound book. She was in no mood for haggling. "And the other prices will remain?"

"Yes," William said with a short nod, but Attia hadn't bothered to look up at him. Instead, her focus remained on the sheet of paper she pulled out, and using the quill pen, she amended the prices they would pay to the blacksmith upon receiving the shipment. The only sound filling the space between them was the scratching of the pen on the paper, but it seemed only William was aware of the tense silence. 

"Is it hard living here?" William's question had caught Attia off-guard, and so she paused for a moment before she slowly let her eyes wander up at William. How could she have ever forgotten the lines of his face? He was easily one of the best looking men at Court, and he wasn't even officially at Court. 

"How do you mean?" Attia asked as she replaced the quill pen to its holder then stood from her seat. She was vaguely aware she was much shorter than William than she had been previously, considering she often forwent shoes when she wore long dresses. 

"Life here. The politics. The friends and enemies. Is it difficult to maneuver?" 

Attia 's dry laugh had sounded more like a scoff, and it had escaped her throat before she could stop it. "I suppose it is, but it's nothing compared to Incarceron." She gave him as honest of an opinion as she could, but she recognized the doubt overshadowing his face as he took in her answer. 

"It was supposed to be a Paradise." 

"It was a sick twisted joke," Attia replied simply, her face almost appearing emotionless. Almost. William could detect trace amounts of pain across her face and in her eyes. He imagined she'd hardened herself against such comments long ago. Most people couldn't believe Incarceron wasn't Paradise. He knew people who still believed it no matter what its Inmates claimed. 

"I've been invited to join the King's personal jeweler as an apprentice," William explained the reasoning behind his question and Attia's face softened as she averted her eyes to the desktop. To keep her hands busy, she gathered her papers and tucked them into the folder. She wasn't yet as talented at handling idle time as Keiro was. Incarceron never let anyone have idle time. Or at least, anybody following Finn and Keiro to the end of the world and back to the center never had any idle time. But she wouldn't have changed anything about their adventures even if she had the option. 

"It's a prestigious position," Attia finally said as she peered up at William. "You could make a better life for you and your family by working here." 

"Yeah, I could," William agreed as he nodded and smiled at Attia. She smiled back at him warmly until the door was opened suddenly. 

"We have a situation, Attia," Keiro declared simply as he took only a few steps into the office. His gaze had at first been only focused on her, until he noticed the handsome young man also occupying the room. Keiro watched William with narrowed critical eyes, and Attia wasn't blind to the way Keiro watched William as though he were some kind of enemy. 

"What situation?" Attia asked, and Keiro slowly turned his attention back to her. 

"With Finn, Claudia, the Lords who think they're in control, and Casper has offered to take over the throne."

Attia only stared at Keiro, completely unable to make sense of what he was saying. "What?" she finally asked as she started to put away her records. She locked the drawer quickly before she looked up at him. 

"They've called for an emergency Council meeting."

"Then why are you here!" Attia demanded as she started to cross the office, but paused when William entered her vision to the side. "You're included in them, Keiro! You're so incapable of keeping track of-"

"Oh, spare me," Keiro raised his voice so that it boomed louder than Attia's and stopped her mid-sentence. "It's in five minutes. I just had this incredibly stupid idea that maybe you wanted to be there to save them from my opinions." 

"You mean save you from yourself?" she quipped easily before she turned back to William. "I'm sorry, William. I have to go," she told him simply before she left the office in front of Keiro. William remained in the office space for only a moment longer, but just as Keiro and Attia left his view, he could hear their footsteps running down the hallway almost in perfect sync. 

By the time the pair had moved down the corridor and up two flights of stairs, to reach Finn's official Council room, Attia was nearly breathless, though Keiro appeared as though he'd casually walked the entire way. Keiro had pulled open the door and let Attia walk into the room in front of him. He was vaguely aware her steps, even when she ran, were silent, but he didn't linger on the possibilities of her footwear for very long.

"What's going on?" Attia' muttered under her breath, her head turned slightly in Keiro's direction. 

"You'll figure it out," he replied in a hushed whisper as he pulled the door shut behind him, then passed her to head towards his seat on the left side of Finn. As he took his seat, Finn sent him a look, but Keiro's smug smile left no words to be said. Finn knew Keiro had some kind of stroke of genius to think of brining Attia, but Keiro already knew that. Even Claudia, standing on the far end of the room behind Finn, seemed impressed Keiro had used his five short minutes to retrieve Attia. 

"I think it's safe to start, then," the man seated at the end of the table spoke in a deep, almost forceful voice, his eyes lingering on Keiro, then on Attia, who settled into the space next to Claudia. Neither woman, nor Finn, had missed the man's lingering stares, all three knowing he saw the two women for what they truly were: a threat to the power the Councilmen historically had over the ruling Monarch. But King Giles wasn't like any other King—or Queen—the Realm had ever had. Only Queen Sia had ever been governed by something other than the Council men, but she had only paid attention to her skinwands and keeping her wrinkles at bay. King Giles, however, valued the opinions of Claudia and Attia, and even those of Keiro. It was debatable if the opinions of Casper were as highly valued, considering King Giles did keep his less-than-stellar step-brother around, but Casper rarely had anything of value to say to begin with. 

"I suppose, though I can't say exactly what it is this meeting is about," Finn replied sharply, and Keiro's smug look seemed to intensify. 

"Perhaps, it would be more fitting if only members of Council were present, Your Majesty," the same man replied. Claudia knew him as Lord Vega, a man whose ambition had gotten him far in life, though he undoubtedly had gotten far more during Queen Sia's reign than he ever would under King Giles. 

"Excuse me?" Finn asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. He knew Lord Vega meant for Claudia and Attia to clear out of the room, but Finn had been King for just over a year. Claudia knew the ins and outs of Court and its politics much better than he, and though he understood it all a little more every day, he still heavily relied on Claudia to see the ulterior motives of those around him. Attia, though as unversed in Court life as Finn, had been a quick study. She had picked up writing easily, though Finn already knew how from his former life, the fifteen blissful years before Incarceron. Navigating through Court was simply a lot easier for Attia than for Finn, and even Keiro, though Keiro had never been too concerned with bothering with other Courtiers and their motives behind every action. 

"Ladies Claudia and Attia," Lord Vega responded, but for a few moments, the room remained silent after. 

"No," Finn said simply without looking at the two women. He was sure they'd held their composure perfectly. "They'll stay. You can start." 

Lord Vega's face seemed to twist for a moment as he exchanged looks with the man seated beside him. They shared a few hushed words, but eventually, Lord Vega turned back to Finn and spoke. "There is unrest along the Northern border of the Realm. The Kingdom to the North does not recognize you as a legitimate ruler. They seek to take control of the Realm." 

"Fantastic," Finn muttered, but only Casper and Keiro had heard him. The two had chuckled at the sarcasm, earning glances from the rest of the men, all older, who sat around the table. It only added to the boundary between King Giles and his Council, not that he had picked his own Council. Instead, Queen Sia's Council had reelected themselves to guide King Giles as well. 

"It's been over a year, why the sudden interest in me?" Finn replied. He couldn't honestly say he'd been too preoccupied with the Kingdom to the North in the last year, but apparently he had reason to be. 

"Intelligence tells us the King had hoped you would become more worthy, in his own eyes, but that some of your more recent decisions have not been ones Kings should make." 

Finn heard a noise from behind him, and he was sure Claudia--but it could've been Attia--was ready to launch into heated debate mode. Both women remained where they were, however. 

"Is there a specific decision you want to debate, or are we just gossiping here?" Keiro asked, finally, knowing Finn wasn't so forward when in the role of the King. An odd silence followed Keiro's question, until finally Lord Vega turned to Finn, but still said nothing. He eyed Claudia and Attia standing behind Finn before he watched the King again. Finn knew Lord Vega, and probably the rest of the men, wanted Attia and Claudia removed, but Finn doubted his own skills as King without at least one of them. Attia wasn't usually as much help as Claudia, but it was comforting to have her and Keiro with him, if nothing else. 

"So that's a no?" Keiro asked, sarcastically as he started to rise from his seat. "Good, cause there's this girl and she-"

"We can continue without you, Lord Keiro," Lord Vega warned strongly. 

"Duke, actually," Keiro replied with his signature grin. "That's my title, right?" He asked as he turned and leaned back to look at Attia and Claudia. Attia had shut her eyes as she held back her biting response. Claudia only nodded once before Keiro turned back to the table. "Well, not everyone here is sadly married, so perhaps we can speed this along a little." 

"It's the matter of your marital status, Your Majesty," Lord Vega finally said and Finn, as well as Keiro, stared at him in confusion. Claudia and Attia were confused as well, and if Casper was paying attention at all, he didn't seem to really care. 

"I'm not married," Finn responded before he cleared his throat. "They want me to be married?"

"Not necessarily."

"Then what?" Finn demanded, his voice finally showing his impatience. 

"It's has more to do with the woman rumored to become your Queen." 

The room had fallen silent. Finn only stared forward, blankly, while Claudia had turned away from the Council meeting before her. She knew it was her, and yet she could not admit it to herself. She felt Attia's hand touch her arm gently, perhaps out of support, but it had done nothing to calm her. 

Keiro scoffed as he leaned back in his seat. There was no possible way Keiro did not feel the tension in the room, and so his distraction had certainly lightened the mood if only a little. "Who?" he scoffed as he looked down the table, eyes locked on Lord Vega. "Attia? I know, that'd be a real nightmare. You should've been there when we were stuck inside your dreadful little Prison. She can bark out the orders faster than your property manager." 

"Keiro," Attia spat through gritted teeth. Keiro did not look back at her, but his grin widened. He could almost hear the smile threatening Attia's lips. Finn had even smiled but the amusement was short lived. 

"It is Lady Claudia's parentage that is being questioned," Lord Vega finally said. 

"What?" Claudia had been unable to contain herself, not that Finn would've been able to in her position. "What are you talking about!" 

"You know exactly what the problem is. You've been well versed in Court life all these years," Lord Vega replied. Finn could hear Claudia's footsteps nearing the table, but he could not bring himself to turn towards her. 

"And yet all you care about is a bloodline!" 

"Wasn't that your exact argument for putting King Giles on the throne a year ago?" Lord Vega replied, just as Claudia reached Finn's side. She had stopped immediately, and had barely responded when she felt Finn's hand touch hers. Even Casper had brushed her arm. As little as Casper appeared to care about Finn and even Claudia, he could see the pained look suddenly take over her face and eyes. 

She knew Lord Vega had been right. She had fought, tooth and nail, to put Finn on the throne, on the basis that he was of royal blood. It didn't matter if Finn could recall his childhood or their engagement, only that fading black mark on his wrist had any weight. And now that same logic was being used against her. 

"Had the Warden properly adopted you-"

"Then draw up the papers," Claudia demanded, before Lord Vega could even finish his sentence. 

"It's too late for that, my dear. You're already of legal age." 

The tense silence returned, but Keiro was officially out of good distractions. Instead, it was Attia who strode forward. Her hand seemed to naturally rest on Casper's shoulder as she gazed at the men seated around the table. 

"I think the meeting has concluded itself, and Finn would like to confer with his own private council," she declared simply. She could tell the men had wanted to debate the matter further, but it had taken only a few cold looks before the Council men had started to stand. Keiro glanced to Attia, and she met his gaze for only a moment, but it was enough to tell him to stay put. Eventually, everyone had cleared out of the room, leaving only Attia, Keiro, and Casper to keep Claudia and Finn company. 

Several minutes had passed since the room had been cleared, but nobody had dared to say anything. Attia had moved from Claudia's side to take the seat next to Keiro, but Claudia had effortlessly slide into Finn's lap, his arms encircling her waist as if they had shared that exact moment several times before. The pair rarely showed such gestures of affection in front of anybody, but the three before them weren't surprised in the least. 

"Has the Portal been busy lately?" Claudia finally asked, though he question was no directed to anybody specifically. 

"No more traffic than usual," Keiro answered. His tone was flat, sounding almost normal, but completely abnormal for him and his personality. Attia knew the change in his tone was out of sensitivity for Finn and Claudia's new problem. 

"I'd like to see my Father," Claudia replied and Finn nodded gently. 

"We'll find him tomorrow," Finn promised before he turned to Attia. She nodded quickly as she pulled her hair over one shoulder to keep it from bothering her. 

"We're not even engaged," Claudia sputtered out in an odd laugh. Her eyes were focused on the table, and so she hadn't seen Finn's glance towards Keiro and Attia. His two friends from his Prison life were suddenly sure Claudia would never see the beautiful ring Finn had meant to give to her. 

"It's not like you need a ring on your finger to settle any doubts about you two," Casper commented, for once sounding sober and capable of rational thought. It amazed Attia how calm Keiro and Casper could suddenly become when Claudia and Finn became emotionally crippled in a single moment. She suddenly felt guilty for assuming neither man could understand real emotion. 

"I didn't think it was so clear," Claudia replied, and the three seated around the royal couple remained quiet. Slowly, Claudia raised her gaze to Casper. After a moment, she shifted her eyes across the table to Keiro, who wore a similar expression to Casper's. Both had no idea of what to say to the woman. It had always been painfully clear exactly who Finn was most interested in. Eventually, Claudia settled her gaze on Attia. 

"Most women would do anything to trade places with you," Attia said gently. 

"Not you," Claudia replied and Attia smiled warmly. It softened Claudia's expression slightly. 

"I'm the only one who doesn't want to marry a King." 

"I assume they'd have the same problem with you as they do with her," Casper comment, not realizing the inappropriateness until the words had already left his mouth. 

"One day, I'm going to kill you, Casper," Keiro threatened as his cold eyes landed on the official Prince. Only silence followed, Attia was willing to bet neither Finn, nor Claudia, even noticed.


	5. Chapter 5

"There you are. I've been waiting all night," Keiro laughed as he spun around to face the door in Attia's private bedroom. Stunned, she stood frozen in the doorway. Her hair, which had been pulled up tightly all day, now fell in messy curls around her face and shoulders. Under one arm, Finn's finical records were tucked, and in that hand, she lifted the skirt of her dress off of the dusty floor. In her other hand, she held her heeled shoes. 

"Why are you in my room?" Attia asked when she realized Keiro would not offer up that piece of information on his own. Deciding it was late and it had been a long day, Attia shut the door behind her. She was finally ready to admit she and Keiro had become a little too comfortable with one another, but it was far too late to do anything about it. 

Keiro only shrugged, but Attia didn't see the gesture as she dropped her shoes near the door. Her back was turned to him as she walked to the desk pushed up against the wall. After releasing her skirt, she dropped the black leather folder on the desk top, then with both hands she reached back to start unlacing her corset. Keiro's presence wasn't enough to deter her after the day she had. 

"Keiro?" Attia demanded, and gasped in surprise when she felt his hands touch her waist before his fingers wrapped around her wrists. He guided her hands away from the back of the corset and began to unlace it for her. "What are you doing here?" she demanded a second time. 

"What do you think?" he replied in a whisper before he pressed his lips to her neck. 

"Are you kidding me?" she snapped as she stepped away from him. With one arm twisted back, she held the unlaced corset against her body as she moved across the room to retrieve the robe hanging on the back of her closet door. With her free hand, she managed to pull the robe around her body, before she let the corset drop. Her nimble fingers made quick work of the skirt, and as she stepped forward, Keiro noticed she'd left the entire dress behind her. 

"What?" Keiro finally asked as he turned his eyes to her. She'd already tied the front of the robe, securing it around her body. 

"Finn can't marry the only woman he actually likes without risking war, and you want to have meaningless sex? What is the matter with you? Are you sure you're not related to Casper?" 

"That is just a little harsh," Keiro replied, still managing to keep hold of his composure, even though it seemed Attia was on the edge of losing hers. "And it's not like I had any say in what happened today. They don't tell me anything!" 

"Well, why would they? You've never given them a reason to trust you. Half the time you don't look like you care at all about what's going on. And when you actually say something that proves you're paying attention, you're pointing out all the reasons they're wrong and why Finn would be certifiably insane to listen to them." 

"What? Opposed to your charming nature around all the important men?" Keiro quipped back, but Attia did not respond. She held his gaze, her eyes narrowing as his did. It was a battle of defiance and stubbornness. It was definitely not a battle during which either would be willing to raise their white flag. 

"I'm a woman. It's not expected for me to be politically correct in the matters of finances and politics." 

"And don't you just love to strut around in your pretty little dresses and jewels." 

"Get out of my room." 

"You can be as pissed off as you want at me, Attia. I didn't do this to them. And they're reasoning applies to us here, too, you'd do well to remember! How long before having Incarceron ex-prisoners holding titles starts to reflect poorly on him, as well?" 

"We have maybe another year here without trouble," Attia answered. She'd been thinking the same thing all day, but Keiro had beaten her to voice it. 

"A whole year?" Keiro asked, his tone sarcastic and matching the snide grin across his face. "You sure do give them a lot more credit than they give us." 

"Get out of my room." 

"Gladly. I'm sure I can find a woman of more pure family line anyway," Keiro commented as he started to turn away and walk towards the door. He froze at the feel and sound of something rushing past the side of his face. He slowly turned his eyes upward, pausing when he found the jewel encrusted dagger wiggling slightly in the door frame. A few more steps forward, he reached the door, and with one finger he touched the end of the handle to stop the blade from moving back and forth within the indentation it'd created in the wood. "That's real charming, Attia," he commented without looking over his shoulder. 

"When I'm not being raided every other day, my aim tends to be a little off," she chimed back at him, and he could hear the self-satisfied smirk across her lips. Underneath it, however, he knew she had been just as affected by the turn of events as he had been, as Claudia and Finn had been. Truly, they had all been caught off guard by the opinions held by those who had never suffered within Incarceron. 

As Attia strode into Finn's personal office the next morning, she wasn't surprised to find Keiro and Claudia already there. Keiro was seated in a chair he'd pulled over to the side of Finn's desk, while Claudia sat in Finn's chair behind the desk. Finn was standing against the far wall, his back to the large window overlooking one of the many Courtyards. She glanced towards Keiro, only to find dark circles tainting the skin beneath his eyes. He hadn't slept well, if he'd slept at all. Of course, she was better able to conceal her lack of sleep behind the fancy skin products she had been given as a gift long ago. She'd never found any use for them until that morning. 

Usually, Finn and Keiro were well into some kind of conversation, be it an argument or otherwise, but instead Attia glanced between the two, feeling every bit the intensity of the silence. Claudia hadn't yet looked up at Attia, but she had no doubt Attia had been the one to enter the room. Anybody else would've knocked or announced their presence. At first, Keiro and Attia's lack of social etiquette concerning closed doors had bothered Claudia, but she soon came to realize Keiro and Attia often provided a much needed release from the intensity of Court life. She now understood why Finn needed each of them so desperately at times.

"I need you to sign off on your order. It's being shipped today," Attia declared, her eyes fixing on Finn. He nodded slowly before he started to walk towards the desk. Attia drew the papers from her folder and set them on the desk, to the side of Claudia, before she leaned over the desk to pull open the top drawer on the left side. She retrieved the pen easily, and held it up for Finn to take and quickly sign the papers with. 

"Have them withheld from distribution when they get here," Finn said simply as he finished signing the papers and peered up at Attia. "I don't want to deal with anything until this is resolved." 

"It's not going to be that simple, Finn," Attia said as gently as she could manage. She could feel Keiro's gaze on her, knowing full well she had been angry with him when it hadn't been his fault. Declaring Claudia was not worthy enough to become Queen based on her parentage had indirectly offended and upset Attia as well. Half way through her sleepless night, she realized Keiro had been affected by it, but had chosen to deal with it by throwing himself in their rather unorthodox relationship. 

"Doesn't matter. I don't care," Finn declared and Keiro scoffed from the other side of the room. Finn did not turn to look at him, but Attia had. 

"What's next then when that doesn't work? Withholding food?" Keiro had a point, but had chosen to express sarcastically and with an acidic edge to his voice. 

"What else am I supposed to do?" Finn's voice had risen louder than Attia had ever heard since he'd been made King. Even Keiro had been surprised by the boom of Finn's voice. In the back of her mind, Attia knew the dynamic of Keiro and Finn's relationship wasn't one that could work between a King and a highly regarded subject. On more than one occasion, Keiro had proven he was not to be defied, usually with a well placed punch, but such antics were not acceptable anymore, no matter the circumstance. Instead, Attia watched two powerful men at odds, both correct in different ways, both desperate for the same end result, yet each with radically different ideas of how to go about it. 

"Yelling about it won't fix anything," Attia said as she turned her attention to Finn. Keiro's gaze fixed on the window on the back wall, but Finn held Attia's gaze. She could feel the intensity of both men's stares, nonetheless. Keiro had abruptly stood from his seat and walked across the room towards the window, but did not look at Finn or Attia as he did so. "And there's nothing we can do right now, anyway, Finn. You have to give it a few days at least."

"She's right," Claudia agreed with a slight nod as she brought herself to peer up at Finn. With a slight, almost invisible smile, Finn turned his eyes to Claudia, but Attia could watch the exchange for only a moment. Though the words had spilled out of her last night, she had certainly meant it when the thought of meaningless sex crossed Keiro's mind so soon after Finn and Claudia had nearly been denied one another. She refocused her gaze on Keiro, taken back slightly to find his gaze already on her. He met her eyes only for a moment before he peered out the window again. 

When Keiro scoffed, Finn finally turned to look at him, but Claudia kept her eyes forward. "Looks like Casper's not having too rough a time waiting out the next few days," Keiro commented with a dry mockingly cheery tone. "And I bet she's really enjoying herself, too," he added as he peered back at the desk where the three were crowded.

"Pretty brunette?" Claudia asked. 

"No. Blonde," Keiro answered slowly as he narrowed his eyes at the back of Claudia's head. 

"He switched already, then," Claudia commented.

"I'm willing to bet he'll have a different girl on his arm by dinner," Keiro replied and Claudia turned around to look at him. 

"I'd take that bet," Attia called out and Keiro's lips widened into a smile as his eyes shifted to her direction. 

"No, not that quickly," Claudia replied as she shook her head. 

"How much?" Keiro asked and Finn began to laugh as he shook his head. 

"I have a twenty piece," Attia said a she dropped a silver coin onto the desk. 

"I'll go thirty, and you two can spilt it if you win," Claudia said and Keiro nodded as he accepted the deal. He dug through his pocket until he found a silver coin, then tossed it across the room for Attia to catch and place on the desk. 

"Finn?" Keiro asked as he turned to him. 

"I cannot partake in the illegal activities in my own Realm," Finn replied, but he could not stop the smile from forming across his lips. 

"Then you can hold the money," Keiro replied, and Attia and Claudia laughed. "Come look at the girl. You'll have to decide tonight at dinner if it's the same one." Finn, who took a moment to stare at each of the three individually in disbelief, took his time making his way to the window. Following him, Claudia and Attia peered down at the gardens, where Casper appeared to be making the best of his time with a woman with rather attractive blonde locks. 

A man standing behind the four cleared his throat loudly, pulling their attention away from the scene below them. "Excuse me, Your Majesty," the man said with a bow before he met Finn's gaze. "The men of the Council have requested your presence in their chamber." 

"No we haven't," Keiro objected boldly as he stepped away from the window. Attia had moved away in the opposite direction, but Claudia and Finn remained standing beside each other. 

"The others, I mean," the man replied with a slight nod of his head to Keiro, a gesture usually done out of respect. Keiro and Attia, however, now had their doubts they carried any respect throughout Court. 

"And I have it on pretty good authority that Prince Casper isn't there gracing them with his presence and brilliant ideas, either," Keiro added and the man cleared his throat a second, less attention grabbing, time. 

"I wouldn't know." 

"Did they say what they wanted?" Finn asked cautiously, and the man turned his attention back to the King. 

"No, they did not." 

Finn rose an eyebrow before he shifted his eyes to Keiro, whose eyes had turned to Attia. She shook her head in the most minute, undetectable way, and as Keiro's eyes shifted back to Finn, he did the same. Claudia agreed with the two as she reached up and ran her fingers through her hair as though to push the strands back from her face. It was a gesture she had perfected over the year Finn had spent on the throne. 

"Well, if they can't disclose whatever topic they wish to discuss, I can't find it of enough importance to go," Finn replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders as he looked back at the messenger. He definitely wasn't a man skilled enough in tactics to have noticed the short silent conversation the four had engaged in right before his eyes. 

"I shall let them know."

"Thank you." Finn's words were short, and he turned away from the messenger soon after, his arm reaching around Claudia's shoulders as he did so. He was certain the messenger had seen it, but he wasn't exactly sure what the consequences might be once Council, not including Casper and Keiro, found out about Finn's ongoing relationship with Claudia. 

"Maybe pissing off Council isn't the brightest of ideas, Finn," Claudia warned after the door had shut behind the messenger and he was at least a good ten steps away from the door. She had turned to look up at him, but his arm remained wrapped half way around her neck. 

"Maybe I don't really care," Finn admitted as he held her gaze. 

"Well, maybe they'll die soon," Keiro chipped in, using a rather cheery tone, but only Attia appeared to respond to his comment, not that he appreciated the eye roll. 

Attia did not look at Keiro again before she left the room, her black folder left forgotten on Finn's desk. Claudia had caught most of Finn's attention, leaving Keiro free to retrieve the folder without being caught. His hand was already on the door handle, one foot past the physical barrier, when Claudia's voice had turned his attention to the royal couple. 

"You are returning that to her, right?" Claudia asked, only her head turned in Keiro's direction. One eyebrow was higher than the other, her lips forming a thin straight line. 

Keiro's laugh was short and resembled Casper's laughs when he was attempting to charm some beautiful woman. "Of course."

"I don't believe you," Claudia replied, but Keiro's smug smirk widened. 

"But are you going to do about it?" he chimed back at her before he left the room and shut the door behind him. He tried Attia's office first. He liked her office, actually. A functioning lock had been installed on the door, and Attia had long ago shown her appreciation for a good session against a wall. Keiro was interested in imploring a desk at some point, though. Alas, Attia was not to be found in her office. Some older man whom he knew to do some kind of work for Finn was there instead. At the sight of the aging man sweating away his body weight behind Attia's desk was enough to give Keiro inspiration for imploring the wall in his and Attia's odd relationship. Not that he really needed inspiration to do anything, despite her attempt on his life the night prior. But that wasn't really new between them, either. 

She wasn't to be found in her room either, but Keiro expected that much. Any other woman would be simple to chase down and convinced to have a moment's fling at the spur of the moment. Attia was determined to be difficult, and she was damn good at it. He'd been walking aimlessly through the back passages of Court when he overheard the men carrying in the boxes of weapons Finn had ordered. 

"Look at that! We're all starving, and the King's got gold lining every damn hallway!" 

Keiro had half a mind to interrupt, but his impatience had gotten the best of him. He was almost out of earshot when the response followed. 

"Doesn't matter. Hurry up and carry that to the armory. That's what the lady said, right?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

Ignoring the rest of their conversation, Keiro went in the direction of the armory. He didn't make it all the way there, because he'd caught a glimpse of Attia's dark hair through one of the cut outs in the wall. After breaking with Protocol, Finn still couldn't stop building with ancient architecture, Keiro mused absentmindedly. As he turned the corner, he found the door leading into the room where Attia was. A sign was posted out front, but Keiro couldn't recall exactly the word was. The picture of the jewelry accompanying the sign gave him his answers. 

"Attia," he called simply as he strode into the room, but he stopped abruptly as he stared at Attia and the man standing far too close to her. He recognized him as the man she'd been meeting with the day before. In the man's hand, a small box was open. Hanging from the fingers on his other hand, a silver chain adorned with big bright jewels hung. 

"What are you doing here, Keiro?" Attia forced herself to speak as she took a step back from William and turned her gaze to Keiro in the doorway. 

"You left your records," he replied as he held her stare. He slowly held up the folder, but he knew Attia knew him better than that. He never went out of his way to return things, and the obvious reason behind searching for her all over Court only made the situation all the more embarrassing. Of course, Keiro was far less embarrassed for himself, and far more embarrassed for the man standing in front of him. William had dropped his hands to his sides, but had not turned to Keiro just yet. It was actually a little pathetic in Keiro's eyes. Here, the man was probably baring his soul with beautiful shiny jewels to a woman who could not be bought. Worse yet, she was already having quite the affair with another man. The silent triumph had returned Keiro's smug grin to his lips as Attia glared at him. 

"You could've left them in my office."

"I didn't want Sir Sweaty to accidently drown them," Keiro quipped, earning an even colder stare from Attia, not that he'd never endured those before. "Am I interrupting something?" Keiro's eyes shifted for a moment to William, who had finally turned to him. 

Attia could hear the edge in Keiro's voice, but she forced herself not to become defensive in response to it. 

"Of course not. We were just finishing business from yesterday."

"Clearly," Keiro retorted, his eyes still holding William's gaze. Keiro's watchful gaze had noticed William's hands clenching around the jewelry he held, the muscles in his arms tensing as he did so. It was Keiro who broke away first, and Attia seemed to let out a breath when their gazes were broken. Without saying anything, Keiro had lifted his arm and tossed the leather folder onto a nearby work bench without any real care for the way he treated Attia's records. He didn't meet her gaze, nor William's, as he turned and left the jeweler's office.


	6. Chapter 6

When Keiro had returned to Finn's official office, the room was already full of people. Some did small work for Finn, like Attia did, others were Council members. Claudia wasn't in the room, nor was Attia. 

"Keiro?" Finn called without even looking up at the door. Instead, Finn's gaze was on a document placed in front of him. A man was standing to his side, probably waiting for the King's signature to validate whatever the document was for. Of course, Finn's critical gaze was inspecting the words carefully instead of carelessly skimming over the words. 

"What?" Keiro replied as he slowly neared the desk in the center of the room. He noticed the man standing to the side of Finn was growing impatient, especially as Finn raised his gaze to Keiro, leaving the document unsigned still. 

"I'm going to send a party into Incarceron for Claudia's father. Rumors speculate that he might be hiding fairly well." 

"No." 

Keiro could've sworn the room had become suddenly quieter, but conversations still remained throughout the room. Of course, he probably had pulled at least some attention. Not very many people were willing to deny the King outright. In fact only two were willing to do so: him and Attia.

"No, he's not hiding?" Finn finally asked, deciding Keiro often did not clarify anything he said. 

"I don't care what the man's doing. I'm not going to Incarceron unless you tie me up and drag me there. And even then, I might just get free and you're left with a few dead men." 

Finn took a moment as he stared at Keiro, understanding the revulsion Keiro had, but still stunned at his extremist view. Finally, Finn let out a breath and turned his attention back to the document in his hands. He signed it unceremoniously and casted it aside to the man standing beside him before he looked at Keiro again. 

"There's isn't anyone else who knows the passages like you and Attia," Finn reminded him, but it did nothing to change Keiro's stance.

"Then send her." 

"You'd send a woman to lead a military party?" One of the men standing off to the side and few steps away from Finn's desk asked. The man's eyes narrowed at Keiro, but Keiro only looked at the man with mild interest. 

"Would you want to be on the other side of her blade?" Keiro replied, a slight smile threatening his lips. "I'm pretty sure she could cut you up before you can even scream."

"Thank you, Keiro," Finn said as he cleared his throat. Slowly, Keiro returned his attention to Finn, but the two were interrupted when a second man approached Finn's desk from the side. "What is it, today, Evans?" 

"Marriage propositions," he replied as he casually set a small stack of folded papers on the desk in front of Finn.

"What?" Keiro asked as he turned to look at Evans. 

"Yes, Keiro. It's a day to day thing you're not used to because you're never around this time of day," Finn replied as he started to unfold the papers and glance at them. 

"Who is trying to marry who and why are you involved?" Keiro replied with narrowed eyes and a dry laugh escaped Finn's lips before he could stop it. As he tore through the first document and handed it to Evans beside him, Finn held Keiro's gaze. 

"Anybody with a title needs my permission to get married," Finn answered, and Keiro could tell how Finn detested the archaic practice. "And a handful of others will ask because the woman doesn't have a father or a brother or whatever." 

"Like who?" 

"Claudia. Attia. A few others," Finn answered as he shrugged his shoulders and began to tear the second document, but Keiro had taken it from his hands. Eager to read what it said, Keiro narrowed his eyes at the words, and was able to make out most of the words. He suddenly regretted not paying attention when Claudia had helped him and Attia learn the art of written word. 

"This is Claudia," Keiro declared, sounding disinterested as he tossed it in the direction of Evans. Before Finn could lift the next documents, Keiro took the stack and began looking through them, Finn's confused gazed not affecting him in the least. "Lord Vega wants to marry Attia?" Keiro demanded as he looked at Finn. "Since when?"

"Since a few months ago. That's his third request," Finn answered. "Why are you so interested?" 

"Wasn't he the one spilling all that crap about people from Inside?"

"Yeah, I know, Keiro. But why do you care?" 

"And who is this?" Keiro asked, ignoring Finn's question. He held out the document for Finn to read, but Finn said nothing as he looked at Keiro again. "Not important, then?" he gathered as he handed the document to Evans and moved on to the next one. "Why are these all for Attia?" He asked as he looked at Finn again. 

"Most men think Claudia otherwise… taken," Finn replied, taking his time to think of the right words. "And Attia's not exactly a terrible choice." 

"Does she know?"

"No, of course not," Finn laughed as he took the rest of the papers from Keiro's hands and shoved them into Evans'.

"Don't you want to look through them?" Evans asked, but Finn only shook his head. "I'll just look for the import ones, then," he replied as he walked away from the desk, leaving the two friends more or less alone. 

"You have no intention of telling her that half the men here want to marry her?" 

"No, not really," Finn answered simply. "It's not like I'm going to accept any of them on her behalf. If anyone really wanted to marry her, and she actually wanted to be with him, I'm sure I'd hear about it from her first, anyway." 

"You mean like a man asking a woman to marry her, like normal people do who don't live in history? That's a fantastic idea," Keiro declared, his voice becoming louder as he looked around the room. He wondered exactly how many of the married men actually had asked their wives to marry them directly. 

"Why are you so interested, Keiro?" Finn repeated his question for what felt like the hundredth time. "It's just customary to ask the woman's father or brother to get permission." 

"It's stupid. Are you going to go start begging the Warden to marry Claudia?" 

"I'm not so sure our positions are exactly right to continue the use of this practice," Finn replied as he cleared his throat. He knew Keiro didn't care who overheard their conversation, but Finn was only slightly concerned about the things Keiro could or might say. 

"You mean you hate the man?" Keiro replied and Finn could help but laugh. "He did imprison you, and possibly drug you to forget. Then he actually did try to poison you. Remember? When Attia almost died? That was clever. And he never did actually say if you were Giles or not, we had to find that one out on our own." 

"Thank you, Keiro," Finn replied drily. He didn't actually need a summary of his relationship with the Warden, but Keiro had provided one anyway. 

"Is he annoying you again?" Attia asked as she walked towards the desk from the door. Keiro hadn't heard anyone enter the room when he was talking, but he paused as he heard her voice. He could hear her footsteps nearing him from behind, and when she had gotten close, he decided to speak, but did not turn towards her. 

"We were only going over your marriage prospects. How do you feel about Lady Attia Vega?" 

"Repulsive," Attia spat back at him without looking towards him. She had clearly not taken the quip seriously, but Keiro grinned smugly nonetheless. Finn ignored the odd way Attia and Keiro had been acting around one another lately as he focused on what Attia was presenting him with. "A few men would like you over ride the withholding of weapons. They had cracked and damaged swords and guns," she explained as she gave Finn the list of names. 

"Fine," he replied without really checking the list. As he handed it back to her, Attia turned to Keiro, but Keiro's eyes had gravitated to her neckline, and remained there when he noticed the necklace she wore. It was the same necklace he'd seen William holding only a few hours ago. 

"Nice jewels," he told her in a bitter tone as he eyes slowly moved up to meet hers. For a moment, he thought he saw guilt in her face, but she hardened as quickly as she had been taken back by the comment. 

Finn watched the two as they stared at one another, and when it was clear neither would say anything, he cleared his throat. "Attia, I was wondering if you wanted to get away from Court for a few days," he said and slowly, she turned her eyes to him. 

"Sure. Doing what?"

"Leading a military party through Incarceron to look for the Warden?" 

"No," Attia answered simply. "Send him," she said with a cruel smile across her face as she motioned to Keiro. "Maybe Incarceron will swallow him." 

"Aren't you just charming?" Keiro said sarcastically as he turned and narrowed his eyes at him. "I can't imagine why Lord Vega really wants to marry you. You'll probably just slit his throat in the middle of the night, won't you?"

"Yeah, Keiro. I've been known to kill off a few of my lovers, haven't I?" she snapped back at him. To everyone else, she sounded as though she was agreeing with him sarcastically, but Keiro knew it was much more than that. He actually was her lover, and it sounded all too much like a threat to his precious neck. 

"What happened?" Finn asked as he watched the two, but neither were willing to break their stares from each other. "Keiro, Attia. Why are you two so mad at each other all of a sudden?" 

Slowly, Attia turned away from Keiro and focused on Finn. "Nothing," she said simply, but Finn clearly wasn't buying her answer. 

"She's just bitter all the time," Keiro commented and a scoff passed Atta's lips. 

"I thought that was you." 

"No, I'm quite happy, actually. Lots of women, lots of alcohol."

"Too bad you have to share with Casper and all the other men at Court," Attia replied as she dared to look up at him, her lips only slightly parted. To him, it sounded as though she were taunting him. As though he had to share her as well. 

"You're a nightmare." 

"You're-" 

"Enough," Finn groaned as he stood up and reached over his desk to grab Attia's arm. Though it seemed Keiro was doing most of the instigation, it was easier for Finn to move Attia due to her size. "Don’t you both have something better to be doing, anyway?" 

"What's more fun than annoying Attia?" Keiro asked, as though it were an answer to Finn's question, but his eyes never left Attia's gaze. 

"Getting a maid hand pregnant, I'm sure," Attia answered sharply. "Better hurry before the shift ends. I hear Casper got two on you." 

The stillness and silence that had spread across the room was more than Finn could handle, but he hoped Attia and Keiro were nearing an end. At least, Attia had proven that she was not a force to be messed with in front a majority of important men at Court. 

"Continue this elsewhere, then, if you're not going to stop completely," Finn said as he motioned to the door. "I actually do have to get things done, today." 

"Of course," Attia replied, an unidentifiable edge to her voice, as she turned away from the desk and began to walk towards the door. Keiro had followed her, but had left the room in front of her, without bothering to hold the door for her. "Glad you're so charming, Keiro," she commented dryly before the door shut behind her, leaving Finn's office in silence. 

Attia had started down the hallway in the opposite direction Keiro had been heading, but he had turned to follow her fairly quickly. "I can't believe you," Attia muttered without looking at him. She could hear his loud stomping footsteps following her a few steps behind. 

"Me?" Keiro laughed, and she could hear the surprise taking shape on his face just from the sound of his voice. 

"Don't tell me you're jealous," Attia demanded as she stopped suddenly and turned around. Keiro almost ran into her, but had managed to stop within inches of her. There was something utterly terrifying about her cold stare directed upward at him. He might've had a good foot of height on her, but it did nothing to make him any less afraid of the woman and what she was capable of. 

"Jealous of what?" Keiro spat back at her, eyes narrowing, voice dropping in volume and tone. "Your clueless jeweler? The man couldn't find his own mother with a map and both hands." 

Attia's laugh in response was cold to Keiro's ears, and her smile seemed to only make her appear all the more evil. "Jealousy is very unbecoming for a man like you," she told him in a hushed whisper as her hands touched his chest. He could feel her fingertips moving against his clothed body, but was determined not to let the ministrations distract him. Focusing on her, he noticed her parted pink lips, and the way her eyes looked upward at him. None of it made him any less attracted to her, and every bit of her threatened to distract him from the topic. 

"Man like what, exactly?" he responded, though a good long moment had already passed between them in silence. Attia knew she'd overpowered him through her own body movements. She'd always detested the women who knew exactly how to bat their eyelashes and twist their bodies to manipulate the men around them. Yet, as she visibly drove Keiro to the brink of insanity and back again, she felt rather empowered about herself. It was thrilling enough to make her completely forget all about the chaining hanging around her neck, the shiny jewels that had started it all. 

"Men who don't really care about anything or anyone but himself," Attia responded, still keeping her voice low. She knew they were at risk of being seen at any moment, and yet the thought fueled whatever was happening between them. Attia was never one for romance and affairs, but she was enjoying herself far more than she'd ever imagined she would. She never expected anything more from Keiro than passion in the middle of the night. Somehow the thrill and passion had shifted from the moonlit bedroom to the middle of the day in a public hallway. 

"You think I don't care?" 

"I think you're really good at hiding what or who you care about." She had taken a step back from him, but she hadn't broken their gaze. Before she could take another step away, Keiro mirrored her step forward, keeping the space between them minimal. He watched her with narrowed eyes, almost as though he was ready to say something, but he remained silent. Slowly, his left hand reached up to her collar bone. His fingers pressed up against her skin, but Attia took a step back to stop his fingers from pushing too roughly. Eventually, she touched the wall of the hallway, and Keiro's lips spread into a smirk as his fingers lined up along her collar bone, effectively holding her neck. He didn't apply enough pressure to make her uncomfortable, and though she did her best to hide it, he could feel she was enjoying herself. 

When he began to lower his head to the side of her neck, she shut her eyes, anticipating the feel of his lips on her neck. He placed only one kiss on the sensitive skin before she felt a sharp tug around her neck. The chain of the necklace had snapped easily under the force of Keiro's right hand. When it had broken, a red mark tainted Attia's skin, but Keiro paid the mark no attention as he stepped back and looked down at Attia. He wasn't sure what to expect after he'd ripped another man's necklace off of her body, but he was pleasantly surprised that she was not yelling or threatening him right away. Of course, she wasn't exactly happy as he released the broken chain and the pendants into her palm. 

After she dropped her hand to her side, the necklace clutched in her palm, Keiro bent down to align his lips with her ear. "If you think I don't care, I don't think you're looking hard enough," he whispered to her before he dared to place a short kiss on her cheek and pull away from her completely. After he'd put an acceptable amount of space between them, a grin spread across his lips before he turned and began to walk away. The only thing that put his mind at ease was counting his footsteps, which echoed through the otherwise silent hallway. Once he'd reached thirteen steps, he let out a breath and let himself turn and peer over his shoulder. Glancing back at her, to find her smiling at him as he walked away, was well worth the thirteen step wait.


	7. Chapter 7

To calm her mind, Atta sat in front of the mirror in her bedroom, a brush in her hand. She was slowly pulling the large brush through her long hair, watching as each strand became a little shiny after each stroke. She couldn't help but twirl a piece around her finger, loving the softness and shine her hair had now. For survival reasons, she'd never had long hair in her life, and now that keeping her hair had become an option, she doubted she'd ever cut it again unless she really needed to. She'd almost lost herself in the moment when her door opened without a warning knock prior. Peering up, she watched the door slowly swing open through the mirror. 

Keiro slipped into the bedroom, and before he shut the door, he looked up at her, their eyes meeting in the mirror. He slowly shut the door while holding her gaze, and watched a slight smile form across her lips as he locked the door. He said nothing as he crossed the room, shedding himself of his unnecessary jacket as he walked. Attia had turned away from him, and slowly put the brush into a drawer in the nearby vanity table. As she stood, she pushed the chair to the side, but paused all movements when Keiro's hands found her waist. She let her eyes shut, enjoying the moment of gentleness take its place in their odd relationship which had until then been driven by rough passion. He moved her hair from her shoulders, letting it fall down her back instead, then lowered his lips to the red mark he'd indirectly given her earlier that day. 

As usual, Attia had awakened before Keiro the next morning, and was moving around the room as she dressed and prepared herself for the day. Keiro remained asleep in her bed, but the notion had stopped annoying and repulsing her, though she couldn't exactly remember when or why. 

Even though the Northern Lords, Lords Kingston and Scotts, were still present at Court, she opted to wear her pants. She was even deciding against styling her hair, and instead leaving it falling down her back in her natural waves. 

"You're going to hear from Kingston and Scotts wearing those, today," Keiro quipped, and Attia turned to meet his stare, an amused smile pulling at her lips. "They're quite unladylike."

"Oh really?" she replied, raising one eyebrow. 

"That's right," he responded as he reclined in her bed, feeling all too comfortable and at home in her room. "They make your legs look longer than they actually are, and make your hips look a little more… curvy." Keiro grinned as all his attention shifted to Attia's legs. 

"You're a shit," Attia told him and he only laughed as she turned away from him to continue getting ready. Just as she had finished, she heard a knock at her door. Turning, she found Keiro started pull on his clothes from the night before, but she ignored him as she crossed the room and reached for the door. She pulled it open only enough for the messenger on the other side to see her, and not Keiro on the other side. 

"Yes?" Attia asked as she looked down at the young boy. 

"You've been summoned to the King's chambers, Lady Attia," the boy said as he stared up at her. She only nodded in response, before the boy turned and started to hurry away. 

"Wait, who else has been summoned?" Attia called after him. 

"The High Duke," the boy answered as his face contorted into an odd facial expression. "But he wasn't in his room."

"Don't worry about him. I'll get the message to him in time."

"Are you certain?" the boy asked as he tilted his head, and Attia only laughed before she retreated into her room and shut the door behind her. 

"Why does he even bother with those stupid summonings?" Keiro muttered after Attia had shut the door. He'd heard the entire exchange. "It's not like I ever go."

"Probably because you're always hiding away with your latest victim," Attia replied without even looking back at him. In the still silence that followed immediately after, Attia could feel the narrowed eyes watching her. When she finally did look to him, he'd managed a smug look that appeared on his face all too often. 

"Is that what you are, then?" 

"I think it's the other way around."

"Oh," Keiro laughed as he peered at himself in the mirror. He tossed his long blonde hair before he tied it back at his neck. As he turned to her, he couldn't help but notice the self-satisfied look across her face. He actually liked the look she had. "Don't you just think highly of yourself?" 

"A concept you're quite familiar with, I'm sure," she replied and he only stared at her. 

"Let's go," he finally told her. Though he thoroughly enjoyed bantering with the woman he'd spent the entire night with, he couldn't risk her tempting him to remain with her the entire day locked away in her room. 

"You're going in last night's clothes?" she asked as she rose an eyebrow at him. 

"A concept I'm quite familiar with," he countered and Attia rolled her eyes as she scoffed. He saw the smiled she did her best to conceal. "I'll just come up with a story," he added when Attia' eyes returned to her. 

"Really? I hope it'll be believable."

"It'll be loosely based on the truth," he promised as he pulled open the door and lead the way out of the room. Attia succeeded in walking to Finn's official office without bantering with Keiro, knowing it would lead to the kind of playful banter than often lead to other, less appropriate actions. As they strode into the room, Attia smiling, Keiro grinning his usual overly-confident grin, Finn stared at them with narrowed eyes. 

"What?" Keiro finally snapped. "You called us here, remember?"

"Yesterday, you were ready to kill each other. Now you look like… best friends."

"I wouldn't go that far, Finn. Let's not start counting our blessings too early," Keiro replied as he stepped off to the side, earning a stare from Attia. She did try looking upset by the comment, otherwise she risked Finn seeing the amusement she got from Keiro and his remarks. 

"Yesterday's clothes, Keiro?" Finn asked, changing the subject completely. He knew better than to delve too deep into Keiro and Attia's love-hate relationship. "I hope she was worth it."

"Definitely," Keiro replied as he turned back to look at Finn. Attia watched Keiro with an odd interest in what he was saying, and he was enjoying the attention. "She was blonde. And very, very tall." 

Attia scoffed as she turned away from Finn and Keiro. She hoped Keiro could not tell she'd wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of his story. 

"Legs that go for days," Keiro added, still appearing all too smug. "She can lock her ankles with her legs wrapped-"

"Thank you, Keiro," Finn stopped him, and as Attia turned back, her laugh had finally escaped her. Finn and Keiro had turned to her, Keiro expecting her to blush or appear somewhat embarrassed, but instead she was thoroughly amused. 

"I bet she was just lovely, Keiro," Attia commented, the sarcasm failing to sound as heavy as Finn assumed she'd meant it. 

"Anyway," Finn said as he shook his head and focused on why he'd called the two in the first place. "Council wants to have a meeting, but the military team I sent into Incarceron blindly to look for the Warden actually found him."

"They got lucky," Keiro commented and Finn laughed as he nodded in agreement. Instead of looking up at the two, Finn was writing on a piece of paper and eventually signed his name across the bottom. 

"So, instead of just declining entirely, I'm sending you as my representative, Attia," Finn explained as he folded the paper in half once, and handed it to her. She assumed it was a written consent for her to sit in on Council's meeting. 

"Then why am I here?" Keiro asked and Finn turned to him. 

"So you know there is a meeting, and you have to show up," Finn answered and Attia snorted before she could stop it. Though she didn't turn towards Keiro, she could feel his gaze on her. "Claudia and I won't be back until dinner, most likely, so hopefully we won't have any body counts waiting for us." 

"Cute," Keiro quipped as he turned to Finn. Attia let out a laugh before she turned and started to walk towards the door. It took Keiro a moment before he started following her as well. She had turned to the left in the hallway, leaving Keiro standing in front of Finn's closed office door watching her with narrowed eyes. "Where are you going? Council's the other way."

"You do want to change, no?" Attia called back to him without pausing in her step, or even looking back at him. Before she could get too far away from him, Keiro followed her in the direction of his bedroom, a room he entered at a steady pace of every other day. 

After he had changed and at least washed his face at Attia's insistence, the two started towards the Council meeting hall. With Finn's written consent in hand, Attia lead the way down the narrow corridor, pausing only when Lords Kingston and Scotts came around the corner ahead. 

"Come on, you have to keep going," Keiro told her in a muffled voice as he came to her side. His hand had found the small of her back, and she had paid the gesture far more attention than she should have. With a groan, Attia continued at Keiro's side, pausing again as the two reached the Northern Lords just outside the entrance to the Council meeting Hall. 

"Mistress Attia, surely dress and skirts are still more acceptable on a woman's body such as your own, compared to trousers?" Kingston commented as his beady eyes peered down at Attia. Between him, Lord Scotts, Keiro and Attia, the entrance to the meeting hall was blocked, and so Lord Vega as well as a few other council men were forced to wait out the bitter exchange, each one of them able to overhear every word perfectly. 

"Lady, actually. That's my title, Lord Kingston, and you are to refer to me as such."

"Married a Lord, did we?" 

"No, I'm not married. It's the title the King gave to me. I wasn't born into it like you," she replied sharply, pulling a dry laugh from Keiro's lips. Kingston, as well as Scotts, stared down at Attia, both equally unsure of how to respond to such a daring woman. It was clear neither had ever encountered a woman willing to speak to them in the manner Attia did. "Now, if you could be so kind, Council has a meeting."

Attia had turned towards Keiro, who had reached for the door.

"Yes, that's why we're here," Kingston replied, and Attia turned back to him.

"Sorry, Council members only. It's a closed meeting. You'll need to clear the floor," Attia answered then tried to turn to follow Keiro into the room, but a hand wrapped securely around her forearm. 

"Then, you too are forbidden from entering, I'm afraid," Kingston replied as Attia turned back to him, eyes widened in surprise at his physical response. Her other hand had reached back and touched Keiro's in an effort to make him aware of what had had developed. She was perfectly capable of handling herself, but Finn had already mentioned a body count. She didn't need him to think she and Keiro needed to understand the warning seriously. Why she thought she needed Keiro was beyond her. 

"Let go of her, right now," Keiro demanded, his voice sounding deeper than she'd ever heard it. "She's The King's representative for the meeting. He's otherwise engaged and can't make it." 

"I'll need proof," Kingston replied sharply but Keiro had drawn a knife he'd kept well hidden connected to his waist line. 

"Let go of her," Keiro threatened, his hand reaching around Attia's small frame as he stepped forward to press his body against her back. 

"Lord Kingston," Lord Vega's voice boomed through the narrow hallway. Only Attia's eyes shifted in his direction, watching as he stepped forward and put a hand on Kingston's outstretched arm. "You are not permitted to enter during a Council meeting, nor is Lady Attia required to prove her legitimacy to you, and you will unhand her immediately. Unless of course you'd like to end up on the other side of the High Duke's blade. He doesn’t have the best track record concerning his temper." 

As soon as Kingston's fingers loosened on Attia's small wrist, she pulled her arm away from him. It seemed mere microseconds had passed before Attia had stepped forward, away from Keiro and towards Kingston, a knife in her hand. Vega had moved out of the way in a rush, then turned to see if it was Keiro's knife Attia was wielding, but alas Keiro's blade remained in his grasp. It was her own weapon she'd produced. 

"If you ever touch me again, you will have a severely wounded body part, are we clear?" Attia breathed out her threat, and was pulled away only when Keiro put his arm around her waist and tugged her backwards. The remaining members of Council filed into the room after Keiro and Attia, but the pair had simply entered the room and stepped to the side. 

Keiro had returned his weapon to its hiding place, but Attia's fingers were still wrapped tightly around the handle of her own weapon. Slowly, Keiro lifted her arm to look at the place Kingston had grabbed her so forcefully. He could already see a bruise beginning to take shape. 

"Are you alright?" Keiro asked, concern tainting his voice. As Attia shifted his eyes to his, she saw something in his face she'd never seen before, but she could not place what it was. 

"I'm fine," she replied simply as she pulled her arm from him. She started to walk around the table, moving towards the far end, where Casper was already seated. He appeared thoroughly confused, and probably had no idea what had happened. After the door had been shut and locked by another member of Council, Keiro followed Attia and took his seat to the left of the head of the table, where Attia slowly sat. She tossed Finn's written consent to the center of the table, and the man it landed nearest to retrieved it. After unfolding and reading it, he nodded as he set it back down on the table. 

"Lady Attia has the King's written permission to attend our meeting as his representative."

"Are you sure you are still up to it, Lady Attia?" Lord Vega asked as he peered at her, but was met by the narrowed eyes of Attia and Keiro.

"She's fine," Keiro replied sharply. 

"I was only asking to be sure," Vega replied without meeting Keiro's gaze. 

"If you think my blade is the one you ought to avoid, you're making quite a deadly mistake. She could flip you inside and out faster than you can comment on her pants." 

"I might take you up on that," Casper commented, a grin plastered across his face as he turned and looked at Attia. 

"Careful what you wish for, Casper," Attia reminded him as she leaned back in Finn's chair. She took a deep breath to steady herself, but only Keiro noticed the shaky sound of her breath. He hoped she wouldn't respond negatively, but he reached under the table to touch her knee nonetheless. At the first contact, he saw her body tense, but after she turned and met his gaze, she relaxed slightly. He didn't know why he had done it, nor was he entirely sure why she'd needed him to confront Kingston. He knew all too well Attia was perfectly capable of handling herself. In fact, he was willing to bet she carried more concealed weapons than he did. 

"Are we going to begin, or are we going to spend another ten minutes revealing in the fact that a woman actually did make it to this legendary room?" Attia snapped and Vega cleared his throat as he sat up straighter in his chair. 

"Women were never excluded from Council, Lady Attia," he said gently as he turned his eyes to her. "Though historically-"

"What does that even mean?" Keiro stopped the man who had asked Finn for Attia's hand in marriage three times. For some reason, the notion made Keiro unexplainably angry. "You're whole damn Realm is stuck in history and you use the term 'historically' to mean, what exactly?"

"Your point is wall taken, Keiro," Vega replied, avoiding the terms preceding a name. Though Keiro did not like the familiarity in the way Vega addressed him, he preferred it to the nonsense of Lords and Dukes. 

"Are you finished?" Attia asked as she turned to Keiro. "I do have something else to do today." 

"Meeting with the Jeweler?" 

"No." 

All the men in the room, Casper included, could feel the sudden intensity that had formed between Attia and Keiro, though none were brave enough to attempt to end it. None except Vega, who was quickly becoming the most daring of all the Councilmen. 

"Shall we start, then?"


	8. Chapter 8

"Is there any specific reason I'm here?" Casper asked as he leaned forward in his seat. He rested his elbows on the table and leaned over it, obviously wishing he'd just ignored the Council meeting and remained in bed that morning. Nobody answered his question, usually because Finn was the only one who ever dealt with the step brother Prince. As Vega turned to peer at the royal end of the table, he watched Keiro as he slowly turned to look at Casper, eyes narrowed, face cold. Attia kept her gaze forward but screwed her eyes shut, probably in an effort not to lash out at the Prince notorious for his ungentlemanly conduct. 

"No, Casper. You can go," Attia said simply as she cleared her throat and turned to look at him. "Something tells me you do not confer with the other members of Council, ever, and therefore you have no idea what this meeting is about." 

Casper, who'd only heard the first part of what Attia had said, was already standing from his seat and making his way towards the door. After he left, the door shut behind him and Attia drew in a breath before she turned her gaze to Vega. 

"Why is he Prince, again?" Keiro asked and Attia only shook her head without turning to look at him. 

"To keep him from complaining, I’m sure," she muttered and Keiro let out a laugh. The men of Council seemed to find amusement in Attia's comment as well, but only stifled chuckles came from any of them. 

"We wanted to discuss the threat of war from the Kingdom to the North," Vega finally said after clearing his throat. He spoke in a calm, businesslike tone as he turned and met Attia's gaze. "In light of the true environment Incarceron had become over the years, The King feels as though those born within its walls are not to be held equally." Lord Vega did his best to use neutral terms, but the nature of what he needed to say made the task difficult. Though he, as well as the rest of Council, had intended to have the conversation with King Giles, he doubted it would've been any easier with the King than it was with Attia and Keiro. All three knew the environment of Incarceron better than anyone else in the room. Probably better than anyone else at Court. 

Only silence followed as Vega looked at Attia, his gaze momentarily shifting to Keiro on the side as well. He could see the two were thinking, but their faces were impossible to read. Every so often their eyes met, but the glances never lasted long. Eventually, Attia tilted her head slightly as she peered up again, her eyes falling solely on Vega. 

"What was Incarceron supposed to be?" 

The question hung like a threat in the still air. Attia never had the courage to ask it before, nor had Keiro. Both had lied to themselves, telling themselves they didn't want to know. They never wanted to set foot in the Prison again, and so it didn't matter what the intention of the Prison had been. 

"You've not been told?" Vega finally asked. 

"We've never asked," Keiro corrected sharply and Vega nodded once as he turned to look at the other members of Council. It was clear nobody wanted to give them an answer. 

"It was meant to hold all the thieves, prisoner, impersonators, all the criminals. To remove them from society. Seventy Sapein teachers volunteered to enter the Prison. They took the best medicines, the best of everything. They were to guide the Prisoners, the teach them, and provide healthcare. There was supposed to be food rations, food would grow on its own there. It was meant to be paradise. The way it is now, is how it was supposed to have been the entire time." 

Again silence followed as Attia and Keiro took in the words. Attia wasn't even sure she could feel until she felt Keiro's fingers grasping her knee beneath the table. 

"Were there records of the people who went into Incarceron as a Prisoner?" Attia finally asked as she forced her eyes to meet Vegas. "Names and offenses?" 

"If it still exists, the Warden has it." 

Keiro scoffed in reply. He shook his head, obviously unsatisfied with the answer they'd been given. "The Warden?" he repeated strongly as he snapped his head towards Vega. "The man who imprisoned your Heir to the throne? And you all just blindly trusted this man?" 

"His actions were not brought to light until recently."

"I can't imagine how that happened. He's basically an unsuccessful murderer. If it were possible for anybody to be worse at murdering people, it'd have to be Casper!"

Attia let out a dry laugh before she turned to Keiro. Her lips were turned up in the slightest of smiles, but he knew it wasn't a smile of happiness. They were both angry about what had been done to them, even if they rarely showed it. 

"Imprisoning King Giles was never proven to be done at the hand of the Warden. Any other attempted murders you speak of, haven't been made aware to our justice system." 

"Yeah, brilliant system you've got running here," Keiro commented dryly as he leaned back in his seat and cross his arms over his chest. 

"The King to the North feels the people of Incarceron are of lesser descent than those who were permitted to remain in society."

"But what was it?" Attia repeated and Vega narrowed his eyes at her. "Whose idea was it? Who made it? Who designed it? Was it something designed just for use in the Realm? Were criminals from other Kingdoms outside the Realm added to the Prison?" 

Vega remained stunned as he stared at her. He'd never thought to question the very origins of the Prison, but he'd never been trapped within it. 

"At the time of its conception, the Kingdom to the North was part of the Realm, but not under direct rule of the King. They had a… a Representative, if you will. He agreed to the concept of Incarceron and their jails were emptied and added to Incarceron. Later the boundary line was drawn and the Representative became the ruling Monarch."

"And Protocol?" Attia asked. 

"Same process," Vega responded. "But as for the person responsible for the idea of Incarceron is impossible to know. It was funded by the Havanna Royal Family, and I'm sure Sapeins had designed it." 

"So hypothetically, if we were to go to war with this other Kingdom, they have the same quality of weapons as we would because they've been just as a affected by the collapse of Protocol as we have." 

"Well, yes, but war should be avoided at all costs." 

"What about an illegitimate heir to the throne?" Keiro asked curiously as he leaned forward and turned to Vega. Attia smiled at the question but said nothing, also interested in the answer.

"I’m sorry?" Vega replied with narrowed eyes. 

"If Finn and Claudia don't get married, therefore bypassing the threat of war, but Claudia finds herself pregnant with a pretty little Finn-baby, what would happen?"

Vega stared at Keiro, shocked at what the man was suggesting, but once he gathered himself, he turned to the other Councilmen. Attia and Keiro waited patiently as the men conferred with one another, each one of them as equally surprised at the concept as Vega was. Eventually, Vega cleared his throat and looked at Attia, then Keiro. 

"Casper would remain second in line for the throne. He could abdicate, give up his position, but retain his royal title. The King would have to agree. If he doesn't abdicate, the King does have it within his power to remove Casper from the Line of Succession with agreement from Council. However, I feel that most of us as Councilmen will have retired or died by the time anything of that nature will occur." 

"I don't think you'd agree anyway," Keiro commented and Attia let out a laugh. 

"I'd also like to note that Lady Claudia does not seem the type of woman to reduce herself into an affair without the added stability of a marriage."

"Not for love?" Attia asked as she looked at Vega, eyes widened slightly is interest. 

"It's clear how the King feels for Lady Claudia, but her feelings towards him are… not quite as clear," Vega replied cautiously. 

"You'd think she'd be seeing stars, considering she was supposed marry Casper. That's like a personal little Incarceron just for her," Keiro commented drily, again managing to pull a few stifled laughs. When he turned to Attia, he found her battling her own smile and the urge to look in his direction. 

"I feel it's best to also note that we, as Council, have no real opposition to Claudia rising to become Queen. Her past, and the past of her father, do not change the woman that she is, and only an exceptional person, man or woman, could have accomplished what she has and in such little time. It's clear that there is a boundary between us," Vega took a moment to motion with each is arms to men seated around him. "And you," he finished as he motioned to the space between Attia and Keiro. "King Giles, undoubtedly holds each of you in high favor, and probably regards your opinions higher than our own, but in no way are we a threat to him or to you." 

Quiet followed as Attia held Vega's gaze, judging him, wondering how much truth he held in his words. 

"He's a career politician. They have to know how to sweet talk, it's a prerequisite," Keiro commented as he turned to look at Attia, but she did not meet his gaze. Despite Keiro's response, Attia believed Vega. 

"Is there such thing as a document that could restore a person to a title they held previously? Perhaps lost it?" Attia asked and Vega laughed. 

"Yes. If you're suggesting we restore Lady Claudia to the heir of the Wadendary, then that will be a difficult process. Restoring somebody implies they had previously not deserved whatever is being restored to them. It will imply that Lady Claudia was not ever the Heir of the Wadendary, and I highly doubt there is anybody who does already view her as just that."

"But in name, is she?" 

"No, unfortunately. Once the Warden passes, his titles and lands will be passed to the throne, unless he has any children before then. It will be up to the King to decide who will be the next Warden. He will chose Claudia, but not because she is the rightful heir. That's how the Kingdom will see it. There is nothing that can be done to get around the notions they have of Incarceron." 

"What about changing their notions, then?" Keiro replied and Attia finally looked at him. 

"How?"

"The King, he's not married, is he?" Keiro asked as he turned away from Attia and faced Vega. 

"No. He has a healthy supply of… companions." 

"Charming, beautiful women?" Keiro asked and Vega nodded slowly. "Then why can't we go on tour and stop near the border. Have a little chat with the King. Let him enjoy our own healthy supply of charming beautiful women, who used to be in Incarceron." 

"You can't be serious," Attia sighed and Keiro turned her with one eyebrow raised. 

"You'll have to get a better dress, I’m afraid."

"You want me to be a part of it?" 

"Well, yes," Keiro replied with a laugh. "You can't assume he doesn't know that you're basically in power over here. You have to be just as equally charming and beautiful as all the others." 

"And a new dress will do that for me?" she replied with a sarcastic edge to her voice. 

"Don't worry, you have more to work with than Claudia." 

Vega, as well as the rest of the Councilmen, had assumed Keiro had meant his comment as a lighthearted joke, but Attia's face had contorted after the words had left his lips. Her eyes dropped to the table top, as though she were focusing intently on the table, but the reasons behind her behavior were unclear. Turning to Keiro, Vega found him equally as absorbed by something other than the playful banter that had just been between the two. 

Keiro snapped back to reality first, though he still appeared confused as he looked to Vega and the Councilmen. A few more moments in still silence passed before Attia lifted her gaze. She appeared even more confused than Keiro, and even started to turn her head, her eyes searching ever corner of the room, high and low. 

"Attia," Keiro called and she froze for a moment before she turned to him. "It wasn't that." 

"You heard that," Attia accused, eyes narrowed at him. He nodded in agreement, but said nothing right away. 

"It wasn't that," he repeated, and Attia seemed to know exactly what he was talking about. The others in the room, however, were completely oblivious. 

"How do you know?" Attia finally asked and Keiro only stared at her. 

"It's been over year. There's no way It could do this."

It had suddenly become clear to all the Councilmen what had happened between the two. Something-- some unknown sound, smell, or something—had sent the two reeling, wondering if they were still stuck within the Prison walls. Vega sat frozen in his place how terrified Attia looked as she stared Keiro in the eye. She trusted him completely, and it was clear the way she regarded his words. 

"For amusement, It could do anything," Attia commented and Keiro's hand reached across the table to touch the back of her hand. The gesture had definitely pulled Vega's attention, as well as the attention of a few of the others. Attia twisted her hand around, her fingers feeling Keiro's hand, settling on the forefinger of his left hand. She touched the fingernail gently, and all the men wondered what that finger meant, but it was clear it meant something to the two. 

"It's been a year," Keiro repeated strongly and Attia finally nodded and let out a breath. She shut her eyes and withdrew her hand from Keiro's as she settled into the back of Finn's chair. Focusing on her breathing, she let the moment pass, feeling Keiro's watchful gaze studying her. She wanted to look at him, find comfort in him, but she couldn't help peering at the walls again. Anywhere, there could be one single bright red light, she feared. Only one red light stood between her and sanity. She knew she could not handle it if one red eye watched her, at any moment. It would shatter her entire existence. Everything she, Finn, Keiro, and Claudia had almost died to achieve. A crown, a Kingdom. An affair that had suddenly come to the forefront of her mind. If her entire existence shattered, and by fate she survived it, could she find comfort in those arms again? 

"We're done," Keiro said coldly as he stood from his chair, but he doubted Attia had heard him at all. Her eyes were focused, completely still and unblinkingly, as she stared at the tabletop. He hadn't the slightest idea what she was thinking, but when he reached to touch her cheek, she suddenly focused on him. In the background, he could hear the Councilmen filing out of the room, not one daring to question his sudden end to the meeting. Each one of them had watched Keiro and Attia walk along the border of their sanity. 

All the men had not yet left the room, but Keiro's hand remained on her cheek, cupping her face as he forced her gaze on him. His eyes were critical as he gauged her consciousness. He was sure at least one of the men was still present to watch as her hand moved up to touch his. Her fingers curled around to touch his palm, separating his hand from her skin. 

"Attia?" he asked slowly, and she nodded as she let out a breath. His body seemed to release its tension when he knew she wasn't so tied up in her own thoughts. He turned towards the door, to be sure they were alone, but Vega stood alone in the room, watching from the doorframe. Watching as though it were absolutely fascinating to see how to escapees dealt with the trauma of their past. But Keiro knew better than that. He'd already asked for Attia's hand in marriage three times, and right before him, she held the hand of another man. 

Ignoring it, Keiro turned back to Attia. She didn't seem to notice Vega in the room, or she didn't care than he was there. "What if I see one?" she asked softly and Keiro shook his head. He removed his hand from her cheek, but her fingers remained curled around his, their joined hands hanging in the space between them. 

"You won't see one, Attia. There aren't any here." 

"Any what?" Vega asked, apparently not caring that he'd intruded on a private conversation. Neither Attia, nor Keiro, turned to look at him at first. Slowly, Attia released Keiro's hand and placed her hands in her lap. When she turned to Vega, Keiro kept his eyes on her. "What were you looking for, Attia?" Vega asked in as gentle a tone as he could. 

"Nothing," Attia answered simply and Vega's lips tightened into a straight line. Tense silence remained in the room until Vega finally nodded and turned his back. When he left the room finally, he pulled the door shut behind him. Attia let out a deep sigh before she peered up at Keiro again. "What was that clicking, then?" she asked him and Keiro only shook his head. 

"I don't know, but it sounded like It, didn't it?" 

"Like the walls were getting ready to move." 

Keiro nodded only once and froze when the same clicking sounded filled the space around them. Without the talking of the other Councilmen, the sound was clear to the two. Their eyes, for the second time, focused on a single spot on the table, where both able to recognize the origin of the noise. 

"What is that?" Keiro asked, the confusion clear in his voice. Attia, shaking her head, began to duck under the table. 

"Keiro," she called calmly as she climbed completely out of her seat. Keiro, unconvinced a trip to the floor would answer their questions, only followed when she began to shake his knee with her hand. Groaning, he slide from his seat and kneeled beside the table. His eyes followed Attia's gaze to the underside of the table, where a small mechanical object was attached. The quiet clicking definitely originated from the small device.

"A listening device," Attia commented, more to herself than directed at Keiro. 

"But who would want to listen to Council?" he replied and slowly she raised her gaze to him. He had turned away to pull on the small bug until it detached from the table. Neither was sure if he'd deactivated it or not. 

"Any number of people," Attia replied simply as he met her gaze again.


	9. Chapter 9

"Well, if you had to guess," Finn suggested as he turned to Claudia. In Finn's private office, she stood near his desk, eyes casted downward at the small listening device sitting on the desk. Finn was leaning against the wall near the window, Keiro only a few feet to his left. Attia was standing in front of Finn's desk, her eyes in the direction of Keiro and Finn. 

"I still don't know," Claudia repeated as she picked up the small device. After a few tests, she'd concluded it wasn't sending any signals and the temperamental piece of technology had probably been rendered ineffective when Keiro had detached it from under the Council table. 

"I think its Kingston and Scotts," Attia commented, her gaze settling on Keiro first for a moment before she shifted her eyes to Finn. 

"Just because you don't like them doesn't mean they're bugging the building," Finn replied, and Keiro appeared as agitated at his response as Attia was. 

"I'm basing my opinion on the fact that they seem to have an opinion on every matter. They tend to know more than they should, and their lands border the Kingdom to the North." Attia's voice was full of conviction, pulling even Claudia's attention. Before Attia and Keiro had even agreed to bring the device to Finn and Claudia's attention, they'd already agreed the Northern Lords were far too eager to be involved in the inner workings of Court. 

"What are you suggesting?" Claudia asked, again playing her part perfectly as the diplomat. 

"She's not suggesting anything, Claudia," Keiro chimed in, but only Finn and Attia turned their attention to him. Claudia kept her back turned to the men. "She's outright accusing them of spying for the Kingdom." 

"Are you, Keiro?" Claudia replied as she finally turned to face him. 

"Yeah, I am," Keiro replied with a nod and dry laugh. "They're little shits and you know it. They've been lingering around here forever. They were supposed to be here for a few days! How long has it been?"

"All high ranking officials are welcome to stay at Court, Keiro." 

"Why are you defending them?" Keiro replied sharply as he stepped away from the wall and neared Claudia. 

"I'm not, Keiro. But you cannot start wandering around pointing fingers. It doesn't work that way!"

"Then give me a knife, and we'll see how he does under pressure." 

"Stop." Finn's voice carried through the room but wasn't particularly demanding. Out of mutual respect, Keiro and Claudia both ended their argument, but only Claudia turned to him. "I think we can all agree the Northern Lords are definitely not the most pleasant men, and they both have displayed suspicious behavior."

"Thank you," Keiro said but Finn cleared his throat loudly, signaling he wasn't yet done speaking. Averting his eyes away from Claudia, Keiro took a step back from her. 

"However, there isn't nearly enough evidence to convince anyone that they are indeed the ones listening in on conversations they aren't privy to." 

"Then let's go find us some evidence," Keiro suggested as he turned his gaze to Finn.

"Any specific ideas on that one?" 

Keiro only grinned as he began to laugh. Slowly he turned his gaze to Attia, who held his gaze sternly. 

"I’m not going to like this at all, am I?" she asked him and he only laughed louder. 

"You have a nice form fitting, low-cut dress, right?" 

"You've got to be kidding me, Keiro," Attia spat back but Keiro shook his head, still laughing to himself. "I hate you." 

"You should model for me first, though. We have to make sure it's appealing enough." 

"I’m going to murder you one day," Attia threatened but Keiro was still laughing as he turned to Finn, who could not help the slight smile threatening his lips. "Finn, you can't be serious!" 

"It's a good idea, Attia," Finn conceded as he shrugged his shoulders. 

"Send her then," Attia replied sharply as she motioned to Claudia. 

"No, that won't work," Keiro said as he looked at Attia. Just from his vindictive smile, she knew he was enjoying himself far too much. "They aren't stupid enough to try to get at the King's woman." 

"Keiro," Claudia and Finn reprimanded at the same time, but he remained largely unaffected, pulling a chuckle from Attia who often enjoyed his unique way of stating the truth.

"Point is, they’ll enjoy you a lot more."

"Any particular reason?" Attia replied sharply, but Keiro only shrugged.

"You've wounded their ego. Men like to take advantage of women who've already wounded them. Makes them feel better." 

"And you know this on personal experience?" she replied, but Keiro did not receive the teasing well. Attia only laughed to herself before she turned her eyes away from him. Eventually the four agreed on a public event for the setting of a modified version of Keiro's plan. Though Finn rightfully removed himself from the room before the details were worked out, he knew the basics of what would happen. Claudia had been the one to point out that should their plan ever be found out, Finn needed to be clear of any guilt. So, he had no idea exactly what their plan would entail. 

In fact, Claudia, Attia, and Keiro had gone through great lengths to keep Finn out of their devious plans. He'd always known the three people closest to him were capable of nearly anything, but it was actually a bit frightening how well concealed the three could be. Perhaps a week later, he'd almost forgotten they had been planning deviously. Almost. 

"Attia!" Keiro's voice carried through Finn's official office as he strode through the door making quite the entrance. Attia, who had been standing in front of Finn's desk, her back turned to the door, slowly peered over her shoulder at Keiro. 

"We're finalizing the security for the dinner, Keiro. Go be drunk somewhere else," she chided him before she turned back to Finn. He raised an eyebrow at Attia, thinking it wasn't a coincidence the two Northern Lords were also in the room, along with perhaps half of Council. When Attia narrowed her eyes at him, he wasn't sure if Keiro's behavior had anything to do with the listening device and the accusations against the Northern Lords at all. 

"Don't be so harsh," Keiro replied as he crossed the room, and put his arm around her shoulder, his fingers curling around her arm. Finn was definitely sure Keiro was drunk, and the scene before him had nothing to do with the Northern Lords. Attia's facial expression said that much. "I picked this bottle out just for you," he told her as though her were charming one of his whores, as Attia had once put it so kindly in the privacy of their affair. 

"Oh, really?" she laughed as she turned to him, forcing his arm off of her shoulder. She glanced down at the label of the bottle before she met his gaze again. He definitely wasn't drunk. The angle of his well worn smirk told her that. "What makes this bottle so special?" 

"It's got quite a kick," he told her, lowering his voice a few notches, as he bent down to level their eyes. He knew she wouldn't appreciate how publicly he was charming her, but both knew well enough nobody would think anything of them based on Keiro's drunken act. "A kick two people would enjoy together. Really enjoy." 

"Finn," Attia called, obviously irritated, but Keiro detected the slight amusement in her eyes as she shifted her gaze to the King. 

"Can somebody escort Keiro to his room, please?" Finn called, and Keiro stood up straight and turned to Finn. 

"Oh come on, Finn! I'm not that drunk!" Keiro even made himself sway forward slightly as his arm wrapped around Attia's waist. Though he must've put his arm there several times throughout the course of their affair, he knew he would be paying a price for doing it in public, even under the assumption of drunkenness. 

"Now, please!" Finn's voice grew louder and a few guards from the back of the room began to move forward. Keiro set the bottle on the corner of Finn's desk to put his hands up at the guards, but neither paused to listen to him. Instead, they lead him from the room using as little force as possible. 

Attia let out only a soft laugh as she lifted the bottle from the corner of Finn's desk and looked at the label again. 

"What are you thinking?" Finn asked and Attia peered up at him, appearing confused about his question. He was suddenly convinced Keiro had not been drunk at all. 

"I'm thinking about finding out a bit more about this kick," Attia answered, a smile across her lips. Finn cleared his throat as he directed his gaze back to the documents on his desk. "Any takers?" she asked as she peered around the room, her eyes lingering purposely on Kingston and Scotts.

"What is it?" Vega asked from the other side of the room, and Attia visibly froze. Finn hoped she wouldn't look down at him, because he knew his facial expression might hint at his own secrets concerning Vega and Attia. 

"Uh…" Attia cleared her throat and turned back to Vega. "I don't know," she told him before she narrowed her eyes at him. "Kingston," she called as she turned away from Vega before he could respond. "How's your wife?"

"I’m not married."

"Fantastic, then," she replied with a smile before she collected the signed documents from Finn after he'd read through them. Before anything else could be said, Attia turned and began walking towards the door, Finn's documents in one hand, Keiro's bottled liquor in the other. She should've gone to her office, but Attia found herself heading towards Keiro's room instead. When she reached his door, she forwent customary knocking, as he often did at her room, and strode into the room. 

From his bed, where he was laid out rather comfortably, he turned towards her, a wide grin forming across his lips. She shut the door behind her, and he heard the faint click of the lock, but Attia said nothing. Instead, she turned away from him to place her documents on the table near the door. 

"Was that entirely necessary?" she finally asked as she turned to him finally, holding up the bottle in her hand. 

"I was sure you could make something out it."

"Yes, I did, actually. You should've kissed me, so I could've attacked you. It would've sold your act as a drunken idiot." 

"I was channeling Casper." 

"Next time, don't," she told him strongly as she reached the end of his bed, but made no moves to join him. Laughing, Keiro sat up and moved towards the edge of the bed, his face lining up with hers. 

"You mean the next time I'm delivering a bottle of laced alcohol for you to use to drug a fellow Lord? Sure, we can use the back alley approach next time." 

"You're such a shit." 

"Oh, but you liked it," he told him in a hushed whisper as he moved closer to her, but didn't press their lips together. 

"What's in this bottle, Keiro?" she asked as she turned away from him and started to walk away. Once she reached his short dresser, she turned back to him and jumped to sit on top of the piece of furniture. Keiro was reclining once more in the center of his bed. 

"Sleeping additive. One shot should be enough. He'll be out in a minute or two. Don't drink any of it when you give it to him." 

"Noted," Attia replied sharply and Keiro let out a laugh. "Did you and Claudia work out the details?"

"Of course. Did you bring your dress?"

"No. It's only for Kingston to see. I am so desperately interested in him, aren't I?"

"Don't get too carried away," Keiro warned, obviously not enjoying the playful tone of Attia's voice. 

"Getting jealous again?" 

"I'm not jeal-" Keiro stopped himself and took in a deep breath before he cleared his throat. He rolled his shoulders as he shut his eyes and shook his head a few times before refocusing on Attia across the room. She was enjoying herself all too much for his liking. 

"I have a broken necklace that says otherwise." 

"Just get out of my room."

"Why?" Attia replied as she crossed her legs. She let one of her heels begin to slip from her toes, and she noticed Keiro's eyes watching the black heel with far more interest than he probably cared to show. "It's quiet here during the day, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's my private bedchamber. So get out. I'm supposed to be drunk." 

"No, I'm alright," she replied and Keiro narrowed his eyes at her. She began to laugh as she kicked off both of her shoes and held his gaze. "It's annoying isn't it?" 

"Dully noted. Door's over there," Keiro told her as he motioned to the door. 

"Sure you don't want a drink?" she asked as she lifted the bottle. Though she had expected a response, Keiro held his gaze, which had quickly become chillingly cold. She remained largely unaffected by the stare, but her laughter seemed to echo through the room as she jumped from the dresser and balanced on one foot as she started to pull the straps of her shoes over her heels. After getting the first shoe on, she glanced up at Keiro, only to find him watching her with far more interest than she expected. 

"How do you walk in those?" he asked curiously and she laughed again as she turned away from him to begin pulling on the second. 

"How do you get them off so fast?" she replied as she stood up straight and looked at him, one eyebrow higher than the other. He only smirked at her, but she ignored the response as she turned away and left the room, bottle in hand.


	10. Chapter 10

Keiro was characteristically late showing up to Finn's official office where he found a vast collection of important players at Court. Naturally, the room was filled with only men, he noted. Then again, the majority of those who held titles had been given their titles at birth or by Queen Sia. They'd already been around when Finn wandered onto the throne. 

"What am I doing here, Finn?" Keiro asked simply as he approached the King's desk. Though Keiro was only interested in Finn, the older man standing in the back of the room had pulled the majority of Keiro's attention as Keiro stepped closer to the desk. Clearing his throat, Keiro turned his full attention to Finn and put his hands on the edge of Finn's desk before he leaned over it. "Why's the Warden here?" he asked in a hushed whisper and Finn only had a blank stare as a response. Keiro had taken the hint. 

"The formal invitations for the ball next week are ready to be distributed," Finn told him using his business-like tone of voice. Keiro, however, had rolled his eyes at the answer. 

"I just assumed I'd show up," Keiro replied, and though Finn had appeared amused at the comment, he did not respond to it. 

"It's that kind of disrespect for regulation that'll have the whole Realm in shambles by the end of the next year." The Warden's voice carried an edge as it moved through the room. Neither Finn nor Keiro had been excited to turn to look at the Warden, but after a long moment they did so at the same time. 

"You want regulation?" Keiro asked, and Finn almost visibly cringed. 

"Don't, Keiro," he warned with a heavy sigh, though he sounded more annoyed than afraid. 

The tense silence carried on for a long moment before the door opened, pulling Finn's attention away from his closest friend and the father of the woman he had intended to make his wife. 

"The formal invitations are finished," Attia said as she neared the desk and set the stack in front of Finn. "The printer died half way through." 

Finn let out a laugh as he picked up the stack and began to thumb through them. "How'd you get through them?"

"Bribed the mechanic to cancel his other appointments," Attia answered just as Keiro had turned away from the Warden. 

"Bribed?" he repeated as he rose an eyebrow and looked down at her shirt which had one less button done than usual, exposing quite a bit of her upper chest. "With monetary amounts, or…"

"Don't even finish thinking that," Attia warned him as she buttoned her shirt and turned back to Finn. As he continued to look through the invitations, glancing at all the names, he didn't notice the smirk across Attia's face which had appeared out of amusement on Keiro's part. 

"Everyone's in here?" Finn asked as he peered up at Attia, and she nodded. 

"Yes, everyone who was on the list you gave me." 

"Including me?" The Warden's voice was chilling enough to give Attia reason to pause. Eventually, she tilted her head and peered up at the man, though the disdain was written clearly across her face. 

"I think you have a special invitation," Attia replied drily. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Keiro starting to grin. 

"And what did I do to warrant a special invitation?"

"Don't answer that," Finn said strongly without even glancing up at Attia and Keiro. He knew them well enough to know they could come up with any number of clever responses to such a question. 

"The man asked, Finn," Keiro said and Attia let herself laugh and flash a smile before she turned away from Keiro and the Warden. 

"Take your invitation, and leave before I have to arrest someone," Finn told him as he turned in his seat and held out a piece of thick paper out for Keiro to take. 

"Well, if you're open to suggestions for who should be arrested, then I might be of some help," Keiro admitted as he took the page from Finn. He folded it in half and placed it in the inside pocket of his jacket without breaking his gaze. 

"Yeah, I’m sure you've got a list, Keiro," Finn replied simply before he motioned to the door. After Attia had taken her invitation from the stack, she followed Keiro from the room and pulled the door shut behind them. 

"Are you ready?" Keiro asked curiously and Attia narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't respond to him before she turned away from him and began to walk down the hallway. "Are you deaf?" he asked as he followed her until his long strides caught up with her smaller ones and they were side by side. 

"Of course, I'm ready. Don't be ridiculous," she told him with a slight laugh. "It's not as though I have much to do anyway. The hardest part is yours." 

"And exactly why is it we're doing the heavy lifting while Claudia is just an alibi?" 

"Because she's Claudia, Keiro," Attia responded as she stopped walking and turned to look up at him. "She's not the type to… well, you know."

"What?" Keiro asked her with a smug grin across his face. He hadn't even checked to see if they there completely alone before he reached out to grab her by the waist. "Throw a few heels like a knife?" 

"Not exactly what I had in mind," Attia admitted without glancing up at Keiro. She couldn't understand why he'd suddenly become much more bearable recently. 

"Then what?"

"I'm certain your imagination can provide you with a satisfying answer," she responded quietly before she stepped out of Keiro's grasp and continued walking down the hallway. 

"You'd be surprised exactly how satisfying the imagination can be," he called after her, and she turned to stare at him in utter disbelief. He hadn't really meant it, but the comment had been well worth the response he'd gotten. In truth, there was little he could conjure up on his own that could compare to what Attia was capable of herself, all the terrifying things included. 

Perhaps only an hour before the ball was to be started, Finn and Keiro were fully dressed in one of Finn's rooms dedicated for social events. Among the two high ranking men, Casper and his beautiful date lingered near the window. The Warden was present as were a good number of the men from Council. A few had their wives with them, others were escorting a woman of their choice. Keiro, who had opted to attend the event alone was in the minority, though he did take notice of Vega who joined him in the dateless category. Of course, Kingston and Scotts forwent escorts as well, but Keiro was inclined to think they simply couldn't find a woman desperate enough to put up with them for the length of the evening. 

"You're surprisingly well behaved," Finn commented when the two were more or less alone. Keiro only shrugged as he finished his glass of champagne. Since Finn's rise to the throne, more and more producers were willing to branch out in their fine drinks, and Keiro had taken a shine to one of the newer concoctions. As the server made her way through the room, he flashed her one his more charming smiles as he took two glasses from her tray. 

"Make sure you don't let all that go to waste," he told her, pulling a soft laugh from her lips. As Keiro turned back to Finn, he caught Finn's eyes rolling in their sockets. "What? Aren't I allowed a little indulgence every now and then?" 

"You've made it clear you enjoy, perhaps too much, your little indulgences," Finn replied, though his voice didn't carry the condescending tone his words inherently had. "Though, I am surprised. Based on your recent behavior, one would be inclined to think your little indulgences have grown into one big single indulgence." 

"And exactly does that mean?" Keiro asked before he drank his first glass of champagne. He held the empty glass between his middle and ring finger, twirling it back and forth absentmindedly. 

"Means, I haven't actually seen you with a woman in a while, and I'm beginning to think it's because there's only one." 

"What?" Keiro had meant to laugh at the insinuation, but he was too shocked to even begin to cover it up. It hadn't even crossed his mind that someone would start noticing the shift in his behavior. Mostly because he didn't even notice the shift in his behavior. Arriving in clothes from the day prior had seemed like more than enough, but after Finn had brought it to his attention, he realized he did used to flaunt his affairs at least in the most insignificant ways. 

"And you're not coming with anybody," Finn commented, and Keiro was pretty sure Finn had said something when his mind had been wandering. "Usually, your problem is picking one woman, and now you have none. It's like you're going out of your way to conceal whoever it is you've been returning to." 

"It's not like I only spend one night with a woman," Keiro replied, sounding more defensive than he cared for. 

"No, of course not," Finn replied, having no idea exactly what the conversation was doing to Keiro. Keiro was hyperaware of what kinghood had done to Finn. He was less able to read people and their emotions, but Attia had attributed it to Claudia's distractive nature. "A week, tops. It's been quite a while you've been hiding your affair." 

"It's not an affair," Keiro replied sharply. He set the empty champagne glass on the tray carried by another server, and had half a mind to drink the other but didn't. Instead he slowly rolled the base of the long glass between his forefinger and thumb. 

"So there is only one woman?" 

"That's not what I said." 

"Well, then what are you saying?" Finn asked, acutely aware of Keiro's confused state. But Keiro was less confused and more distracted by the thoughts Finn's comments had inspired. Was he in fact having an affair? What was an affair compared to the usual short romances he was more accustomed to having? Weren't those affairs as well? Or did affairs come with emotional ties? He was fairly certain he had no emotional ties to Attia. He'd told her in the very beginning nothing would change. And he'd certainly meant it when he'd spoken the words. And he was a man of his word, most of the time. 

Before Keiro answered, he had turned slightly, just as Kingston had been walking past the King and the High Duke. "Oh, Kingston," Keiro declared as the contents of his full glass spilled across Kingston's fine livery. "I didn't see you there." 

Finn knew the somewhat personal conversation had officially ended, and the beginning of the plot cooked up by Keiro, Attia, and Claudia had begun. Certainly, Keiro was not so clumsy as to spill his drink on another man. Even when drunk, Keiro had enough grace to keep his drinks in their glasses. 

"Are you barking mad?" Kingston snapped as he pushed Keiro away from him and began to rub at his clothing. "Look at what you did!" 

"Yeah, that's pretty bad," Keiro agreed as he nodded in agreement. "You're going to want to change before we go out into the main ballroom. Don't want anybody thinking our Lords are messy folks, right?" 

"You- I-" Kingston stumbled on his words as he stared at Keiro, who could hardly muster an expression of actual shock or guilt. Instead he looked more self-satisfied than anything. 

"If you hurry, you might make it to the ball on time," Keiro told him, but Kingston did not respond to him. Instead, he made some kind of noise in his throat before he charged past Keiro and left the room. The door slammed dramatically behind him, and Keiro had pulled quite a bit of attention. As the attractive server made her way back around, Keiro had started up a conversation, his charming smile ever present, leaving everyone to believe the incident had been nothing but a mistake. 

Attia stood in one of the hallways connected to the main hallway where Kingston's room was located. Leaning against the wall, she drew in a breath, hoping it would be easy to get Kingston to have a drink. In her right hand, she clutched the neck of the drugged bottle Keiro had given to her perhaps a week prior. When she heard footsteps coming down the hallway, she straightened her back and smoothed her dress. It had been the dress she'd wore the ball in celebration of the removal of Protocol. Except Keiro had made his changes to the dress, namely cutting it a bit shorter and exposing more of her chest area. He'd claimed it would make her part easier, but she failed to see how dressing like one of his whores would make searching through Kingston's room any easier, other than the obvious ploy. 

Sure enough, Kingston passed the corner she was hidden behind, and after a few steps, Attia stepped out into the hallway and started to follow him. She shouldn't have been thinking about Keiro moments before she was to seduce another man. Forcing thoughts of Keiro elsewhere, she tried to smile, but it felt odd across her lips. 

"Kingston," she called once she felt confident enough in her appearance. Kingston turned around abruptly, but Attia was a good five steps behind him. "I was hoping I could catch you before you left." 

Kingston seemed ready to reply, but before any words left him, his eyes trailed up and down Attia's body. She definitely shouldn't have thought of Keiro at all. As she endured his stare, she mentally counted the knives she'd hidden in various places on her person should she need them for any reason. 

"What did you need to see me for?" Kingston finally asked, his voice lower than usual and a grin across his face. 

"You said there was no Lady Kingston, right?" she replied. In the back of her mind she wondered if she could be mentally scared by the horrifying words she'd forced herself to say. 

Kingston's grin widened and became slightly crooked as he let his eyes wander Attia once more. "Bring a drink did we?" he asked as he offered her his arm and turned slightly in the direction of his room. 

"Of course," she replied as she snaked her arm through his and began to walk beside him. His arms were fleshy and kind of fat compared to Keiro's, and though their shoulders were of the same width, Kingston felt pudgier than Keiro did. That was due mostly to Kingston's shorter statue, and Keiro's lean build. Attia definitely preferred Keiro. "Do you have glasses?" she asked him as they stepped into his room. Kingston only chuckled at her as he gripped her fingers in his hand. Releasing them, he turned to retrieve two crystal glasses from one of the cabinets against the wall. 

She poured the alcohol into each glass before she set the bottle onto the countertop. Lifting her glass she held it up to his, her eyes holding his gaze. She held her smile as they started to lift their glasses to their lips, but Attia was careful not to actually drink any. As he tilted his head back, she emptied her glass onto the floor near the furniture so that he wouldn't notice the puddle right away. It took only a few more minutes of playful and otherwise flirtatious conversation before Kingston had begun to sway in his step. Attia had taken his hand and started to lead him towards the bed, not bothering with her seductive smile any longer. Almost immediately, he crashed onto his bed in a very unsightly manner. 

In the ballroom, Keiro and Finn stood near each other, appearing to be caught up in conversation, but they were hardly speaking. Both were wondering when Claudia and Attia would arrive. A few men had been daring enough to strike up conversation with the King and the High Duke, but for the most part the two were left alone. Eventually, the main doors to the ballroom had been opened and side by side, Ladies Claudia and Attia walked into the room, both appearing as though they had actually spent all their time preparing themselves for the ball.

"Better late than never, I guess," Keiro commented and Attia had smiled at the comment, but said nothing in response. Finn and Claudia hadn't noticed as they greeted each other in a rather formal manner. They had turned and started towards the high table, while Attia and Keiro walked at a much slower pace. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered Finn had caught on to his recent behavior concerning women and already suspected Keiro only was interested in one. He was vaguely aware Finn could look at him and Attia at any moment it might occur to him what was between them. 

"I do have a question for you," Attia said and Keiro's thoughts had turned completely to her as he eyes did. 

"What?" he asked, vaguely aware they were standing in the center of the dancing area and a song was picking up around them. As other couples had started to dance around them, Keiro put his hand on her waist, nowhere near the placement he usually put his hands on her body, and the two had easily stepped into a dance. 

"It's about your third drawer. Is there some kind of… I don't know… reason?" 

"You went through my third drawer?" Keiro's face had paled as he looked down at Attia, who clearly was enjoying herself far more than he cared for. Her smile and the brightness of her eyes seemed to mock him, and he had a feeling she wanted to just start laughing at his expensive but at least spared him some of his ego. "Why?" he finally asked, sounding angry, but Attia could hear the laughter he tried not to show. 

"I had to hide the letters I found somewhere," she replied in a soft whisper as her body pressed against his when they twirled as part of the dance. "I'm curious-"

"I’m not saying anything about it," he told her simply and she started to laugh, her fingers moving slightly against his neck. 

"Well, at least tell me who owns the… rather large set of… of undergarments." 

"I hate you," Keiro mumbled to her as they continued to move across the dance floor, but he wasn't sure she could even hear him over her own laughter.


	11. Chapter 11

Attia had been seated to the side of Keiro, rather than on the other side of Casper. Instead of having a place right beside Finn as he usually did, Keiro had given up his place to Claudia, so Attia and Keiro were a bit away from Finn's eyes, not that he had paid them much attention anyway. Throughout the meal, Keiro and Attia watched for Kingston, knowing he shouldn't be too affected by the drink. When he never appeared through the main doors, or even the back entrances, Keiro turned to Attia, holding his hand out to her. She eyed him for a moment before she let her lips curl into a smile and slipped her fingers into his. She followed only a half step behind him as he led the way towards the dancing area. 

For the faster paced song, they weren't completely pressed together, but that had done nothing to stop either of their minds from wandering. It was clear from the look across his face that he was very interested in another late night spent with her, and she didn't appear at all opposed to the idea. It was different the way they stared at each other now, compared to the very beginning of their odd relationship. Before, any sexual encounters were spur of the moment. A thought that occurred minutes before they were acted upon. Now, both clearly had been thinking about another sexual encounter for quite some time. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Keiro asked in her ear. Over the music and loud bustling that accompanied large groups of people, only Attia's ears picked up on Keiro's words. 

"Looking at you like what?" she replied as she moved slightly closer to him. Her hand was still on his neck, her fingers tracing random patterns on his skin beneath his long blonde hair. 

"Like you're planning something."

"Planning what?" she laughed in response as he spun her around then pulled her back to him. 

"I don't know," he admitted, his steps moving perfectly along hers. It must've been a figment of her imagination that their dance steps had become much more synchronized since the beginning of their late nights. "A raid of my third drawer, perhaps." 

She laughed quietly, her eyes peered upward at him as she held his gaze. When she had hidden the incriminating evidence in Keiro's room, which was closer to Kingston's than her own room, she hadn't actually gone through all of his drawers. It had just happened that the first drawer she picked had been full of Keiro's impressive collection of women undergarments. 

"Exactly how many women have you stolen clothing from?" she dared to ask and Keiro rolled his eyes, though he had failed at hiding his amusement. 

"Those were gifts, actually. And it would be terribly rude of me to toss away something somebody gave me out of the kindness of their heart." 

Attia had started to laugh again, but Keiro had suddenly pushed her to the side, sending her into the pair dancing a few steps away. 

"You drugged me!" Kingston's voice echoed in the tall room, as he swung his arm unskillfully towards Keiro, where Attia had been only seconds before. Keiro let out a groan as the knife blade Kingston was wielding sliced his cheek instead of the intended target. Kingston had turned from Keiro, his gaze following Attia, who had quickly regained her balance. Keiro vaguely noted she had also shed herself of her heels, reducing her height by a good inch and a half, but as Kingston lifted his knife, Keiro's attention was pulled away from Attia. Clearly still suffering from the lingering effects of whatever drugs Keiro and Attia had given him, Kingston was unable to stand up straight or still, and so Keiro had easily taken hold of his armed hand. 

With his other hand, Keiro attempted to twist Kingston's arm, but Kingston had turned back to Keiro. After taking a few hurried steps forward, Kingston managed to get Keiro slightly off balance enough to loosen his wrist from Keiro's grasp. As Kingston continued approaching Keiro, Attia had produced her own weapon, vaguely aware Finn had been yelling and the space around them had immediately cleared. The Royal Guards were closing in as quickly as they could, but even Finn knew Attia and Keiro should have no trouble with an older, pudgier, slightly unhinged, man. 

He had started swinging his weapon at Keiro, who was able to dodge the attacks, but Kingston had quickly released his weapon when Attia approached him from behind and put a deep slice in his knife wilding arm. She hadn't expected him to turn on her so quickly, and so when he swung his arm around, she lost her grip on her knife. As it struck the floor, it clattered, creating one of the only noises in the entire ballroom filled nearly to the rim with people. It slid across the smooth floor, but nobody paid it attention as Kingston had raised his arm again, ready to strike at her a second time. Attia's quickness allowed her to avoid the first attempt, and a second attempt wasn't even remotely possible. 

Keiro had easily pulled the unarmed man away from Attia, and though the Royal Guard had finally surrounded the three, Keiro landed at least three hits on Kingston. 

"Keiro, stop!" Attia yelled, her voice carrying easily through the room. At first Keiro had opted to ignore the call, but he felt her hand touch the arm he'd pulled back before striking Kingston a fourth time. To everyone in the room, Keiro seemed to listen to Attia right away, but to the pair the moment between her touch and the release of Kingston lasted a lifetime. He'd met her eyes for maybe half a second, but it had been enough for her to see it. He was being protective. He probably didn't even feel the long gash across his cheek anymore. 

"Remove him!" Finn's voice boomed through the ballroom as he made his way towards Keiro and Attia. The Royal Guard, all dressed in black and silver, had quickly taken hold of Kingston and a pair had begun to carry him from the ballroom. Despite the chains around his wrist, Kingston continued to yell accusations of a drugging aimed at Attia, and his voice was not drowned out until the heavy doors shut behind him. The remaining Royal Guards stayed near the King out of fear of a second attack. 

"He's out of his fucking mind, Finn," Keiro said, his eyes narrowed, jaw clenched, voice loud and tone low. Attia saw how his shoulders squared off, even though he was no longer in direct combat. He was clearly tense, and she had wanted to remind him to take a breath, but she had suddenly been made aware they were in a room filled with hundreds. 

"It'll be handled, Keiro," Finn told him, using a clam voice. He also noted how on edge Keiro remained. 

"Handled?" Keiro repeated in his own acidic voice. The tone was enough to make even Attia cringe. "He could've killed her! He's damn lucky I didn't kill him. Being short one corrupt Lord doesn't seem such a bad thing, now." 

"It would seem you were in the most danger, anyway," Finn replied as he held Keiro's gaze. Finn, as well as everyone else, wanted Keiro to calm down after the surge of adrenaline he was surely feeling, but Keiro's gaze was more cold than anything. 

Keiro had a response, but Attia watched him figuratively swallow his words. His clenched his jaw, his entire body seeming to tense for a moment, before his shoulders fell and he averted his eyes. As though he just remembered the cut on his face, Keiro reached up and smeared the dripping blood with the back of his hand. He almost wiped the blood on his expensive coat, but Attia's hand had stopped his wrist before he could ruin the cloth. 

"Take a walk, Keiro," she told him, but her voice was quiet and soft. It was a harsh comparison to Keiro's booming, demanding voice. He held her gaze for a moment, before he nodded in agreement and turned towards the side door the Royal Guard had dragged Kingston through. As he walked, Attia beside him, his attention was more or less free to wander, leading to the realization nearly every set of eyes had found him, watching him intently until he passed through the doorway. 

It was a short walk down a few corridors until Attia had lead him to an open air courtyard. Neither had said anything, but both seemed content in the silence that surrounded them. Attia, still shoeless, carried her heels in her left hand as she walked beside Keiro. Even as they stepped onto the cobblestone pathway that snaked its way through the gardens, she went barefoot. 

Eventually, the sound of running water broke the silence, and Keiro started to wander in the direction of the fountain where the water was running. He dipped both hands into the base of the fountain, the clean, clear water washing away the blood and dirt from his hands. Reaching up, he pulled free his blonde strands and ran his hand messily through them. As he bent down, he splashed the water on his face then tried to wipe away the rest of the blood on his cheek. Standing up straight again, he let out a deep breath and started to pull his hair back again, using the water on his hands to tame the unruly strands. Attia stepped near him slowly, his eyes following her closely. As she reached him, she reached up to touch his face, her thumb wiping away the last smudge of blood from his cheek. 

"You attacked him," Attia said simply, but when Keiro's body tensed, she feared he'd heard an accusation. 

"You attacked you," he replied and Attia held his gaze. She couldn't actually recall a single moment when Keiro had appeared as conflicted as he was at that moment. 

"Exactly, Keiro. You could've killed him, because he attacked me. Because I drugged him." 

"Well don't let anyone hear you say that," he warned as he stepped away from her and found a stone bench nearby. He sat on one side of the bench, leaving room for Attia to sit beside him. 

"Do you feel better then?" she asked as she sat beside him and dropped her heels to the ground. They clattered against the cobblestone. 

"Do you?" 

"Not really," she laughed. Her eyes were still casted downward, absentmindedly watching the stones that made the pathway. She was, however, aware that Keiro's gaze lingered on her, on her smile. "You have any idea how repulsive it is to seduce a man who is thoroughly disgusting?" she asked as she turned up to peer at Keiro. 

"Very?" 

"An understatement." 

"I trust your sacrifice wielded positive results." 

"Oh yes," she replied still watching him. The entire tone of their conversation had shifted dramatically, and the threatening, and rather terrifying, man Keiro had been moments ago seemed to disappear entirely. "But you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see."

"Tomorrow?" he repeated as he rose an eyebrow at her. "What's wrong with tonight?" 

"You're not going to your room tonight." 

Instead of frenzied kisses, Keiro and Attia shared slower and deeper kisses that night. Even the way their hands roamed each other's bodies had changed from desperate for access to thorough exploration. If Finn had gone looking for Keiro that night, he never thought to ask Attia, and the two were left utterly alone in her bedchamber. 

"You lied to me." Attia's voice was quiet, but in the silence of the night Keiro had heard her perfectly. For a moment, his face contorted out of confusion at her comment, but as he turned his head to look at her, he looked more interested than anything else. 

"Oh really?" he laughed as he raised one arm and laid back on his hand, his bent elbow up in the air slightly. His free arm was wrapped around Attia's body, which was neatly laid against the side of his, his chest providing her ample head support. 

"Yes."

"About what?" 

Attia remained silent for a moment, but when she felt Keiro's body tense, she looked into his blue eyes. She hadn't meant for the playful tone of the conversation to fade. "You said nothing would change between us." 

Keiro had no response to provide for her right away. She heard him swallow and clear his throat as he shifted his gaze upward at the high ceiling. "Yeah, I did," he admitted. He didn't look back at her until he felt her shifting beside him, but she wasn't pulling away. Instead she seemed to move closer and realigned herself more comfortably against him. Her hand rested on his chest beside her face. 

"You wouldn't have fought back like you did if nothing had changed between us." 

"You don't know that," he told her, but part of him knew she was well aware of his lie. He wasn't really sure if he was trying to lie to her or to himself. 

"I would've been fine without you, Keiro. You know that." 

"Is it a crime not to want drunken men to attack women?"

"You mean drugged instead of drunken?" 

"I mean trained killers instead of women." 

Not only could he hear her laughter, but he could feel it too. He could feel her cheeks pulling up as she smiled. He could feel her entire body shaking as she laughed. He could feel her cling to his body in the middle of the night. Though he never actually admitted the change that had slowly occurred between them, it seemed Attia didn't actually require him to say the words. The way she peered up at him, eyes lit up even in the middle of the night, lips turned up in a gentle smile, had told him she'd somehow understood. He was new to actual emotions in a relationship, but she was new to all relationships. Somehow, he doubted it mattered at all. 

For the first time, Attia hadn't wanted to get out of bed at all. She wanted to linger there, hold onto the new feeling Keiro had instilled within her. As she rolled over and found Keiro's eyes watching her, she had a feeling he'd felt the same way. A long moment passed between them, neither saying anything, neither looking away. They just stared at one another. 

"So about those gifts from all those women?" 

Keiro laughed as he rolled onto his back and shut his eyes. He could feel the bed moving as Attia moved, but he was still surprised when she'd settled into the space above him. Her hands rested on his bare chest as she lowered herself to press their lips together. He wrapped his arms around her waist before he used his own upper body strength to sit up on the bed. Attia's legs bent and straddled his lap as she remained seated on his legs. Her arms had wrapped around his neck, their lips never once parting. 

"What about them?" he finally mumbled between their kisses and Attia pulled away from him. 

"What exactly inspires them to just hand over their intimates?" 

"I'm a very inspiring lover."

"I'm fairly certain there's more at play," she replied and Keiro scoffed as he stared at her. 

"What are you saying, exactly?" 

"You're definitely worth a second trip, but I wouldn't start handing over rather personal articles of clothing." 

"You're terrible."

"You say that like its bad thing," she told him, but in response she got only another kiss. She could feel his fingers tangling in her long dark locks, pulling on them slightly. Even she enjoyed toying with his long strands, though she had more than once considered what he might look like without them. A cleaner, more polished look, she thought, could give Keiro an edge. The kiss continued, ending only when Finn's voice carried through the room unexpectedly. 

"Attia? Are you awake yet?" he called, his voice accompanied by three loud knocks on her door. Keiro had felt Attia's body instantly freeze, her muscles tensed as she remained sitting on his lap, brazenly undressed. Keiro's state wasn't much better though. 

Without even bothering waiting for a response, Finn had turned the unlocked door handle and stepped into the bedroom, but didn't enter the room too far before he froze in place. 

"At least shut the damn door, Finn," Keiro snapped. Averting his eyes, Finn cleared his throat and shut the door behind him slowly. He kept his back turned to Keiro and Attia, but he could hear rustling originating from their side of the room. It felt like centuries to Finn as he went over every possible scenario where Attia would actually agree to have sex with Keiro. Not a single one had made sense. 

"Any particular reason you're here?" Keiro's voice sounded like an invitation to turn back around, and so Finn slowly turned back. Thankfully, Keiro was dressed from the waist down, Attia draped in a modest robe tied around her waist. 

"Um…" Finn stared at the two, his face continuing to burn from his own embarrassment, though he didn't really understand what he had to be embarrassed about. The fact that neither Attia nor Keiro seemed at all embarrassed themselves only made it worse for Finn. 

"Finn," Attia snapped and he cleared his throat as he nodded again. 

"I came to warn you that Kingston and Scotts are planning together and they've petitioned for a search of your room and personal effects." 

"No," Attia said simply but Finn held her gaze. 

"It's not really up for debate." Silence followed Finn's comment, but after a long moment, Keiro let out a dry laugh before he turned to Attia. Though neither had said anything, Finn saw something between them that had him believing he hadn't actually woken up yet. It had to be a dream where Keiro genuinely smiled at Attia, and she actually smiled back. It was like they were enjoying their own private joke, but Finn was certain their smiles had less to do with some inside joke and far more to do with the night they'd clearly spent not sleeping. 

"You don't have any incriminating evidence, right?" Finn finally asked and Attia turned her gaze to him. 

"No," she told him and laughed to herself as the thought of where she'd hidden the incriminating evidence came to mind. 

"And I can't believe you didn't tell me it was Attia," Finn declared as he turned to Keiro, who had groaned and rolled his eyes. Attia stared at Keiro, obviously confused about the comment, but she said nothing. "I mean were you ever going to mention it?" 

"No, not really," Keiro answered truthfully as he turned and met Finn's stare. "Mostly for the obvious reasons, before you ask why." 

"What obvious reasons? None really spring out at me," Finn replied, clearly not as amused by Keiro as Attia appeared to be, based on her smile. She wasn't even part of their conversation. Instead, she sat at her vanity table on the other side of the room from Keiro, and she had started applying a few different products, none of which Keiro or Finn had the slightest idea as to what they were. 

"One, you wouldn't have actually believed me." 

"You're right," Finn replied bitterly. "I was under the impression your affair was with some tall, leggy blonde you keep talking about." 

Attia let out a loud laugh before she met Keiro's gaze in the mirror. The two seemed to share another moment Finn wasn't really privy to. He could tell, however, that Keiro hadn't really let on as much as Finn thought he had about the ongoing affair Finn had confronted him about. 

"Get out of my room," Attia finally said and Keiro rolled his eyes as he started to pull on his shirt. "You can't be here when they show up to search my room."

"Why not?" He wore the smug smirk Attia had once absolutely hated. There was something about it now that she didn't seem to mind so much anymore.

"Not in last night's clothes," she replied and Keiro laugh as he finished buttoning his shirt and crossed the room. He seemed to completely forget Finn's presence, or he just didn't care at all, as he reached Attia and put a hand on her shoulder. He bent down and had meant to put a kiss on her cheek, but she had turned her head and met his lips with her own. 

The scene before him was definitely not what Finn had pictured when he thought of Keiro and the numerous women he spent nights with. Of course, Finn knew Attia well enough to know she would never be a woman a man could spend only a single night with. Whatever was between his two closest friends was a lot deeper and more meaningful than Keiro had wanted to admit earlier.


	12. Chapter 12

Keiro had graciously shown up in the open doorway of Attia's turned upside down room after he'd changed and pulled his hair back more cleanly. She was seated on the edge of her bed, one leg resting over the other. Finn stood off to the side, accompanied by two Royal Guardsmen while the others thoroughly searched the room. Across the room from the King, Kingston and Scotts looked far too smug as their eyes followed the men ransacking the room. 

"Find anything interesting?" Keiro asked and Attia's eyes slowly turned to meet his gaze. 

"They certainly found all my dirty secrets, but nothing they're looking for," she answered him. She wasn't smiling, but still the heavy gaze was enough to make him wonder exactly what she was thinking of. 

"What kind of secrets?" he asked, taking only a few seconds to turn first to Finn. He looked like he was out of place among Keiro and Attia, but he did his best to hide it. In light of Attia's comments that nothing had yet been found, Kingston and Scotts looked much less smug. 

"The best kind." 

"Well, now I'm interested," he quipped but Attia said nothing in response. Only moments later, the man digging endlessly through Attia's dresser groaned and sat back on the floor as he rotated his head to stretch his neck. Another man emerged from her closet, picking articles of clothing off of his arms and tossing it back behind him. 

"There's nothing, Your Grace," he said as he turned to Finn, who only nodded then turned to the man seated by the dresser. 

"Put everything back," Finn said but Attia scoffed as she sat up. 

"How about you send your maid hands so they'll stop touching all my stuff with their dirty hands," Attia commented and Finn turned to look at her. 

"Fine," he told her, confused as to why she sounded so upset. He would've done anything she'd wanted after he'd been forced to have her room thoroughly searched. "Kingston, Scotts," he called as he turned to the two Lords on the other side of the room. "Council will convene later today on your accusations, but considering no evidence exists, it's safe to say your charges will be over ridden and removed from Attia's record." 

"Was that worth getting beaten in a room full of people?" Keiro asked as he turned to Kingston, his own smug look taking over. 

"Keiro," Finn sighed as he started towards the door, the Royal Guard following behind him. "Leave it alone," he said as Keiro stepped further into the room to let Finn exit. "Clear the room, Kingston, Scotts," Finn called back after he'd already left the doorway. 

"Bye," Attia told him in a high pitched tone in a mocking manner as she waved them out of the room. Keiro waited for the two to leave the room before he turned and met her gaze. "Look at what they did to my room," she said strongly, obviously far more upset than she had let on when the Northern Lords and Finn were still within her room. 

"It's not that bad," Keiro replied as he glanced around. "You just need to reorganize."

"Everything," she added and he laughed as he shrugged and pulled open one of the drawers of her dresser. She could see from his facial expression that all of her things had been tossed around and nothing was in its place. 

"So it's a little messy," Keiro agreed as he pushed the drawer shut and turned back to Attia. 

"It's a lot messy." 

"You'll get it back to normal soon," he promised with a slight shrug. "Or you can just leave it and stay in my room for a change." 

Attia only rolled her eyes at the comment as she gathered her black coat, which had been laid out on her bed. As she slipped her arms through the sleeves, she walked across the room towards Keiro. "You are planning on attending the Council meeting, right?"

"I guess I can," he answered, obviously uninterested in his duties as a member of Council. "It's not like they're going to have some ground breaking discovery." He followed behind her a few steps, and pulled her bedroom door shut after he'd passed through the doorframe. 

"They definitely will," Attia responded and Keiro narrowed his eyes at the back of her head. Though she couldn't actually see his facial expression, she could guess how he was responding. 

"You can't be serious." He'd picked up on what she meant, but in response to his comment, she only laughed. It was that cold, almost evil, laugh that mocked an innocent giggle. It was the one Keiro liked all too much except under the current circumstances. "They could charge us, and Claudia, with any number of things."

"Since when did you care about charges?" she questioned without even looking back at him. 

"I guess you could just pick the locks," he answered, and she could hear the smug smirk his lips had turned up to form. 

"I'll pick mine." 

Keiro scoffed at her boldness in insinuating she would just leave him behind in prison. He desperately hoped she'd forgotten the many times he'd threatened to leave her behind in Incarceron. Leaving her behind definitely would've made his trip easier and less of a pain, and yet in hindsight he was fairly certain it would've been incredibly boring. The fastest way the make to a potential war zone interesting was to toss Attia in the middle armed with a few good knives, he'd discovered over their time together, romantically or otherwise. 

When the two had strode into Council room, the only other person left to arrive was Casper, not that anybody particularly missed the entitled Prince. Or even valued his political opinion. So as Keiro took his seat on the left side of Finn, Attia pulled a chair to the table and sat on the other side of Claudia, who had taken Casper's seat to the right of Finn. 

"In light of Kingston and Scotts' accusations," Vega started the Council meeting without much small talk. 

"You ransacked my room. We got that part," Attia stopped him, but he didn't seem as irritated about her interjection as most thought he should be. Instead he looked rather pleased and even entertained. Keiro narrowed his eyes at Vega, but nobody was paying him any attention. 

"And nothing was found."

"Obviously," Attia replied bitterly. 

"So we'll take a vote as to whether or not the charges against you will be allowed to move forward." 

"Can we just skip this?" Keiro asked with a heavy sigh as he leaned back in his seat. Finn shut his eyes as she drew in a deep breath, doing his best to accommodate the men of Council, who preferred customs and traditional ways of resolving problems, but also to respect Attia and Keiro, mostly Keiro, who saw the time consuming customary ways of going about things as an annoyance. But of course, Keiro was right in that specific occurrence. It was painfully clear nothing would come from Kingston and Scotts' accusations against Attia. 

"Fine," Finn agreed. "I think it's unnecessary anyway. Everything will be removed from your record," he said a she turned to Attia, but she was far less interested in the clearing of her name than what had been expected by the Councilmen. 

"Great," she said as she nodded. "Then we can move on. Keiro," she said as she looked up at him, but he held her gaze. He didn't want to go along with what she had wanted to do, but she was as stubborn as he. "Now, Keiro."

"We can do that some other time," he replied and Attia's eyes narrowed, her lips pressed together tightly. 

"Now, would be best. You know, before Kingston and Scotts leave Court." 

"Fine," Keiro groaned as he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket to retrieve a stack of folded letters. He tossed them into the center of the table and as they landed on the hard wood, the scattered across the table top. 

"What are these?" Vega asked, looking up at Keiro, then at Attia. 

"Letters," Keiro answered simply. 

"Between Kingston and the King of the Northern Kingdom," Attia clarified, but was met with cold silence. 

"Maybe you should tell them how you got them," Keiro suggested but was met by Attia's cold stare. 

"Are you kidding?" Vega was the first to speak, while the other men started to open and read the letters. "He said you went through his room." 

"Funny that he never mentioned his traitorous letters were stolen," Attia replied in a mockingly chipper voice. 

"How did you acquire them?" 

"Roughly…" Attia trailed off as she shrugged and let out a little laugh.

"Basically the same way he said she did," Keiro answered and Attia rolled her eyes. "You know, the alcohol and the pretty dress and the batted eyelashes," he added as he turned his attention to Attia. 

"Don't forget my charming smile."

"Well, aren't you proud," Keiro commented as he rolled his eyes and turned to Finn. "Let's take them hostage and bargain with the King for something." 

"You knew about this?" Vega asked as he turned to Finn, who hadn't at all been surprised when the letters were revealed. "You knew what she was doing?"

"It wasn't just me, but you are welcome for exposing a traitor," Attia commented. Keiro was definitely amused by the comment, and Finn appeared like he had been as well though he did his best to cover it. 

"You knew?" Vega repeated, sounding as though he felt betrayed that his King would organize a half-baked idea with his former prison-mates. 

"I didn't know as much as you think I did," Finn answered truthfully. "I didn't actually know anything except the most basic part of the plan." 

"You could be overthrown if word were to ever get out," Vega warned, his tone sounding all too much like one a lecture would be given in. Finn only stared at him, but he didn't quite half the facial expression Keiro did. 

"Yeah, because everyone here would prefer Casper on the throne," Keiro said as he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Moving on, yes?" 

The men of Council were none too pleased with what had gone on without their permission or even knowledge. But Keiro and Attia had a way of pointing out that was done was done and nobody could change it now. Both also noted how Claudia, who had been Attia's alibi, had not been criticized at all.

"Have you read these?" Vega finally asked as he looked at Attia. She only shook her head as she turned her gaze to him. 

"Didn't exactly have the time," she said and he nodded once before he shifted his eyes downward. 

"Well, it'll take time to go over all the information in the letters and to verify that Kingston actually wrote them. In the meantime, we will call a complete shutdown of the floor to make sure nobody can listen in on our meeting," Vega explained as he looked from Attia, then to Claudia. From Claudia his eyes settled onto Finn, lingering on the King longer than either of the two women, before he finally met Keiro's gaze. "Though any of you are welcome to stay, I have a feeling some of you would prefer to leave." 

Silence followed as Keiro turned his gaze from Vega and settled on Attia. They glanced at each other for only a moment before they turned to Finn almost at the same moment. Finn shrugged as though he were answering a question that had never been spoken. He turned to Claudia and she held a sweet smile across her lips as she stared back at him. The four were only vaguely aware Vega, as well as a few of the other Councilmen, stared at them with bewilderment. They were perfectly capable of carrying on what appeared to be an in-depth conversation without even speaking a word. Eventually, it seemed a decision had been made and Keiro and Attia rose from their seats. 

"We'll see you in a few hours, then," Keiro commented as he turned back to Vega. 

"Your Majesty," Vega had effectively ignored Keiro and held Finn's attention. "We will need a known sample of Kingston's handwriting. Perhaps before Lady Attia and His Grace leave us, you could send them with a written request for a sampling of Kingston's writing." 

"Fine," Keiro said, obviously not too concerned with the task. Finn had agreed with a nod, and the Councilmen seated closest to him provided him with paper and a pen. After he'd finished writing out the request, he handed it to Keiro, who folded the paper and placed it within his inner pocket. 

"Send for us when you're done," Attia said as she started to walk down the length of the table, her eyes casted over her shoulder in Finn and Claudia's direction. 

"We will," Claudia promised with a nod just before Keiro pulled open the door and Attia exited the room after ducking under his arm. After they'd passed the doorway and the door had shut behind them, they were out of Finn's line of sight. 

"They weren't too happy with that," Keiro commented and Attia let out a dry laugh at his understatement. He had turned to the left, the direction which led to the guest rooms, and Attia walked beside him casually. He'd known he had become much more comfortable around her since the beginning of whatever was between them, but it hadn't really been brought to his attention until Finn had mentioned his behavior. Attia's comment late in the night about his promise that nothing would change had reinforced that idea, and though he hadn't actually responded directly to the topic, she hadn't seemed to expect a response. 

"I don't think they like being left in the dark," she replied calmly and Keiro scoffed.

"Yeah, it's all different when it's turned around, isn't it?" 

"I don't think they were as unfair to us as you would like to think, Keiro." 

"What do you mean? They basically hated us," he said as he turned and looked down at her. She met his gaze with equal conviction, and they had stopped walking down the hallway. 

"I think you're just having trouble adjusting," she told him with a slight shrug of her shoulders. Her tone was soft and based on the way she spoke the words, he knew she was telling the truth and meant only to help him. It wasn't something he was accustomed to from her. 

"Adjusting to what, exactly?" He narrowed his eyes at her and she only smiled, seemingly unaffected by his antics. 

"Not having everybody against you. Trying to kill you. Looking to backstab you. Right now, as it stands, Council is the best shot Finn has. And everything we have is based on Finn. If he falls we fall with him." 

"How do you know they even want Finn?" he replied. "They might've pitched all that crap about Claudia being Queen to just make him give it up on marrying her."

"And have Casper on the throne? I doubt it. There isn't anybody else. Nobody that wouldn't be questioned as a legitimate King. Anybody they picked other than Casper would have all the same problems they had with Finn." 

"Except us," Keiro replied. He didn't wait for her response, and instead he started walking again. 

"Give them a chance, Keiro. It's been a year, and we might not have gotten along very well until recently, but that doesn't mean they're against us," she told him as she caught up to him and continued walking at his side. 

"Why don't we get rid of Kingston and Scotts first, then see how Council sits," Keiro suggested, but Attia said nothing. He could see out of the corner of his eye that a smile had formed across her lips. When they reached the hallway where Kingston's room was located, Keiro and Attia could hear yells echoing off the walls. As they neared Kingston's specific room, it was clear the yelling was originating from within. 

Keiro and Attia shared a look before Keiro knocked loudly on the door several times, though it came as no surprise that no answer came. When Kingston's voice lowered, Scotts' picked up the yelling, but it lasted only a few moments, stopping when Keiro opened the door and let himself into the room. 

"King's requesting a sample of your handwriting, Kingston," Keiro declared simply before either angry man could start yelling at him. He knew it was relatively unavoidable, but he still clung to hope that maybe the two traitors would leave his good mood alone. 

Immediately, Kingston broke into a tirade, but Keiro had almost no idea what the man was saying. Attia, standing beside him only sighed as she stared at Kingston. Both were just waiting it out, neither one bothering to argue back. They knew they had Kingston labeled a traitor, and it was only a matter of time before Scotts followed. 

"And you!" Kingston suddenly turned to Attia. "You bitch! You drugged me! You went through my room, and don't deny it. You took something, didn't you!" 

Keiro had half a mind to let the man yell, even when directing his anger at Attia, but when he'd reached out to grab her, Keiro had immediately stepped in between. Truly, there was no denying things had definitely changed between them. 

"Pick up a pen, and start writing," Keiro said strongly as he place his hands on Kingston's chest and shoved him back, away from himself and Attia. "And if you so much as even look at her again you might be treated for a broken bone." His voice was low, and it pulled Attia back to the night before when Keiro could've killed the man. 

"Keiro," she called as she reached out and touched his lower back. "Just get the sample, and leave it be." 

"Trying," he replied, obviously annoyed at the interruption. Once he focused his eyes on Kingston again, the cold stare took shape on his face once more. "Pen. Write. Now." 

"You think you can frame me?" Kingston's words sounded all too much like a threat as he glared at Keiro. "You think your King can destroy me? I've been here longer than he's even been on the throne!" 

"That why you're trying to start a war?" Keiro asked as he rose an eyebrow. "Or are you just aligning yourself with the North because you think they're going to win?" 

"The Realm is already destroyed!" Kingston yelled back as he shoved Keiro back. He'd knocked into Attia, but she'd been able to catch her balance. Before she could stop Keiro, he'd lunged forward at Kingston, and his superior athletic properties lead to Kingston quickly at Keiro's mercy. 

"Keiro!" Attia's voice rose louder and at a higher pitch than usual, and so Keiro had paused to turn in her direction. He didn’t know how it'd happened, but Scotts, who had been sitting quietly in the background throughout the entire exchange, had a knife to Attia's neck. His right arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her in place against his body, his left hand grasped the knife handle tightly. 

Though he kept his eyes on Attia, Keiro kept a hold on Kingston, unsure of what he should or shouldn't do. No matter what happened, he was certain both Northern Lords would be spending the night in a locked cell. Not even a miracle could bring them back from their current predicament. 

"Stop moving!" Scotts demanded when Attia had wiggled slightly as she tested how much room she had around her. He tightened his grip around her shoulders, and Keiro heard a gasp from her lips when the knife touched against her skin harder. No blood had been produced yet. 

When Kingston had started to move, Keiro had turned his eyes from Attia and landed one last hard punch across his face. Kingston had fallen to the ground unconscious before Keiro turned back to Scotts. 

"Now what are you going to do, Scotts?" Keiro asked as he rotated his wrists to relieve the pain of striking Kingston. He'd started to step towards him but Attia let out a half yell when the knife started to press into her skin. Keiro immediately took the step back. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't focus. All he saw was Attia watching him, trusting him to save her neck quite literally, even though he hadn't the slightest idea what to do. They didn't actually have incriminating evidence against Scotts, mostly because Kingston had annoyed Attia the most, and so she had wanted to focus on him. 

"What do you want?" Keiro decided to ask with a sigh. "Your friend is out cold, and there's nothing we can do about it. If you're lucky, the Royal Guard didn't hear her yell and maybe they aren't on their way here already." 

Scotts, who had yet to say a word, started looking around the room, obviously panicking. Keiro wasn't sure if that was optimal or not. "I need to get out of here!" he declared, and though Keiro silently agreed, Keiro was set on sending Scotts away in a body bag. 

"Then let her go, and you can walk out of the door," Keiro told him as he motioned to the door. "You leave with her, everyone will know you're with Kingston. He's done, Scotts. We've got his letters, but I'm sure he's told you that much. You won't get out the front gate with her." 

"You have to help me," Scotts replied and Keiro scoffed. 

"You already cut her, Scotts. You're damn lucky I don't have a knife. I'd have already killed you," Keiro told him through gritted teeth. The threat was real and spoken harshly, and was far more than enough to send a shiver down both Attia and Scotts' spines. Though she knew it was because of her, Attia was still disturbed by the idea of Keiro murdering another person. She wasn't oblivious to the things he'd done Inside, but she could never have brought herself to kill anybody, while Keiro was perfectly capable of it. 

"You can't alert the Guards," Scotts said as he started to step backwards, away from Keiro, dragging Attia with him. When she stumbled on something on the floor, he'd accidently nicked her neck again, that time deeper than the first. Out of shock, he'd released her, and dropped the knife, as he stared wide eyed down at Attia, who quickly reached to grasp her neck in an attempt to stop the blood loss. Keiro quickly moved forward, stepping over Attia as he reached for the knife. 

"I didn't mean to!" Scotts yelled, but it had done nothing to stop Keiro. 

"Guards!" Attia's scream was definitely loud enough to attract attention, but she doubted they would arrive before Keiro made Scotts into his personal cutting board. 

Scotts had continued to declare he hadn't actually meant to injure her, but Keiro had silenced him by pressing the knife to his throat. Scotts had frozen immediately at the feel of the cold steel against the most delicate skin on his body. 

"What? Not so talkative when you're on the other end?" Keiro asked as he pressed the knife into his neck slowly. 

"Keiro, don’t!" Attia yelled, and Keiro had withdrawn the knife at her request. He had wanted to ignore her and continue, but before he had the chance, three Royal Guardsmen stormed into the room.


	13. Chapter 13

"Needless to say, we do have Kingston and Scotts in custody," Vega said but he was met by Keiro's cold stare. Keiro was anything but amused at the moment, and it certainly showed. Sitting on the edge of her bed, Attia sat while the Master Sapien who ran the infirmary at Court bandaged her neck. Finn stood near the foot of the bed, Claudia closer to Attia than to Finn. 

"Oh good, Vega. At least you have them in custody. That makes everything cheery, doesn't it?" Keiro snapped as he held Vega's gaze. 

"I understand your anger, Your Grace, but that is all that can be done as of right now," Vega responded as gently as he could. In truth, he didn't understand Keiro's seemingly uncontrollable anger. Only Keiro, Attia, and Finn understood it, but even Finn was baffled by the intensity.

"How does that feel?" Master Blake asked as he withdrew his fingers from Attia's neck after putting the bandages in place. 

"Like somebody took a knife to my throat," Attia replied bitterly as she touched the clean white bandages gently. 

"Try not to mess with them too much," he told her, ignoring her non-existent bedside manner. He was actually quite accustomed to such a response after spending so much time bandaging wounded soldiers and the like. As he stepped back, he gathered his tools and medical equipment before he turned to Finn. 

"Send the bill in my name to Attia's office," Finn directed, and Master Blake only nodded silently before he nodded respectfully to the King. He did the same towards Claudia before he turned to the door. Based on rankings, Keiro deserved recognition as well, but he hardly noticed as the healer briskly walked passed him. After he'd left the room, silence filled the room, but again the four glanced at one another as though they were a group of children privy to the same secret. 

"I'll just leave you to it then," Vega said as he cleared his throat before he stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him. Even though Vega's absence left the four clear to speak freely, the silence endured. Claudia knew there was something going on between the three, and though were always things they knew better than she, things they'd experienced together, she felt out of place by whatever was going on between the King and his two closest friends. 

"We'll have to wait and see how King Damien responds to Kingston and Scotts striped of their titles and lands," Finn commented and Keiro turned to look at him. He noted the name of the King to the North after he realized he'd never actually bothered to pay attention to the man's name. "If he shows any interest, we might have a hostage situation." 

"Hostages?" Claudia repeated as she turned her gaze to Finn. Keiro had turned towards her, slightly surprised at how shocked she was at the concept. Hostage situations had been fairly commonplace in Incarceron during its Period of Hell, as Keiro had aptly named the era. 

"Yes," Finn responded. "We're not letting them go without getting anything in return." 

"What about their families?" 

"Scotts only has a wife," Finn replied. "And an investigation will be opened on her to discover if she knew or not. Or if she had part in their actions. If not, she'll be given a home wherever she wants and be done with it." 

"Just like that?" 

"What else do you want?" Finn asked as he stared at Claudia. "We can't let her stay there no matter what. She might be able to hide her own traitorous acts, and it'll be easier to monitor her anywhere other than the on the border. Why are you so upset?" he asked as he reached out for her hand. With only Attia and Keiro in the room, both were more open to physical interactions than they usually were. 

"It's just it's been a year. I didn't think we'd be risking war now. Either a lot sooner or a lot later. I thought now would be easy," Claudia admitted, but Finn didn't have a response for her. Even though he had been King for a full year, he never really fully settled into the position. On some level, and Claudia knew this too, he was just an escaped prisoner who would give anything to spend every night counting stars. Of course, he now had the memories from his former life, but they often seemed to pale in comparison to the violent lifestyle he'd been forced to live for three long years. 

Claudia recognized the glazed over look in his eyes as the memories of Incarceron distracted him. The memories from his childhood never did that to him. Whenever they spoke of the short time they'd known each other before Incarceron, his eyes often lit up and a smile accompanied the brightness in his face. Incarceron memories had the opposite effect. As his eyes focused again on her and the memory that clouded his mind started to fade, he watched her more closely. His hands tightened slightly around hers, but only she noticed. 

"I think we should get married," he commented. Keiro and Attia were stunned, and though they hadn't been speaking prior to Finn's comment, they certainly couldn't speak after. Claudia, who was even more taken back than the other two, stared at Finn blankly unsure of how to respond. 

Keiro noted that he could just leave and escape the tension Finn had instantly created, but the four were in Attia's room. She'd be left alone with the awkward couple, and he'd hoped to spend another night with her, even if not to explore the physical aspect of their relationship. 

"What?" Claudia repeated as she withdrew her hands from his. 

"Well, I mean-" Finn started but stopped as he shut his eyes tightly and shook his head. He mentally reprimanded himself for the ridiculous way he'd broached the subject, but there was no turning back now. "That's not how I had meant to ask you," he admitted sheepishly. 

"You meant it as a question? Not just a statement?" Claudia asked in response. She'd never seen Finn turn red before, and yet there was a first time for everything. As though Keiro or Attia actually needed further proof Finn was almost insanely in love with Claudia, he did in fact start to blush. Keiro had never felt embarrassed around Attia, except about the drawer she'd gone through without his permission, but he hadn't even come close to blushing then. But he didn't love her, and he was certain that made a difference. He was certain he didn't love her. 

"No, it was- It was supposed to be a question," Finn answered and Claudia nodded. Eventually a smile forced its way over her lips as she held his gaze. "I even have a ring," he added, genuinely surprising Claudia. 

"Can I see it?" she asked when he made no effort to produce it.

"Not on me." 

"Oh, so you had planned this, but decided to just… throw away all those plans?" Claudia asked with a laugh as she stepped towards Finn. For the first time since he'd made a complete fool of himself he felt a little better when she put her hands in his. Though he knew she was only teasing him, the comments had felt like attacks at his poor planning. As she intertwined their fingers, he was assured she did still care, and the words were just of a teasing manner. 

"Yeah, and uh… Keiro and Attia weren't actually supposed to be here either," he added with a shrug. 

"So Attia's room wasn't the optimal location?" 

"No," Finn shook his head and as Claudia laughed, Attia had as well. She couldn't help but find amusement from Finn and Claudia. If anybody deserved a moment of mundane normalcy akin to nervous hopeful future grooms, she was sure Claudia and Finn topped the list. 

"Might I ask about this location, or should we just pretend you didn't temporarily forget everything and go against your initial plans?" 

"Second option," Finn answered quickly and Claudia laughed as she placed the gentlest of kisses on his cheek. In the whole year that their relationship had grown, neither Keiro or Attia had seen the two kiss, and though it struck Keiro as odd, Attia paid it no attention. 

"Agreed, then," she told him before she stepped back from him and turned to Attia. "I hope you feel better, Attia. And don't worry. Everything will be taken care of," she promised before she turned to face the door. She took a few steps towards it before she noticed Finn remaining where he stood. "Are you still planning on having dinner with me?" she asked him with one raised eyebrow. 

"Is that a yes?" 

"We agreed this wasn't the actual moment, so you get my answer when I get an actual proposal." Any notions anybody might've had about Claudia softening up after Finn's accession to the throne were instantly diminished. 

"Makes sure you run it by the Warden, Finn," Keiro commented as Finns started to walk towards Claudia. He sent Keiro a cold stare, but Keiro was enjoying himself too much to let the stare bother him. That much was clear in Keiro's smug smile. Though nobody had responded to Keiro's comment in words, after Finn followed Claudia out of the room, Attia's amusement was clear across her face. After the pair were left alone, however, the calm and joking air about Keiro quickly dissipated. 

"How do you feel?" Keiro asked Attia after a long silent moment had passed between them. The way Attia watched Keiro, eyes opened fairly wide, face more or less calm, made Keiro believe only he noticed the odd silence between them. When she didn't respond to him right away and another moment of silence occurred, he was made aware that he had never actually asked Attia how she felt before. Not even when they had started to like each other, or at least stopped hating each other after they'd escaped Incarceron. In fact, he couldn't recall a single time he'd asked Finn how he felt, and Keiro wanted to believe he was closer to Finn than Attia. He wanted to believe he was close to anybody. 

"I'm fine," Attia answered finally, but Keiro only nodded. He remained standing on the other side of the room from her, and when he couldn't bear her stare any longer, he averted his eyes around the room. He noticed a few things had been put back in their places, but the vast majority of her things were still out of place or in the process of being reorganized. In the back of his mind, he noted that he had wanted to spend the night with her, but he doubted he could survive a night if her eyes continued to linger on him so openly and silently. As he let his thoughts wander, he realized he'd never spent a night with a woman without having sex with her. In fact, sex was the point of spending nights with women, and yet he had already admitted, at least to himself, that he had wanted to spend the night with Attia regardless. 

"Keiro?" she finally called his name and he turned his eyes to her. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he answered quickly as he narrowed his eyes at her. She could see through him, and he could feel it. Of course, the devious smile that had formed across her lips didn't give him much room to pretend otherwise. Even with a large white bandage taped across her neck, an image that would make any man sympathize with any woman, he resented the way she could be far more clever than him. She never held it over his head, never flaunted her superior cleverness whenever it shone through, but somehow that had angered him even more. Like she knew she was far more clever than him, knew it so well she didn't even have to point it out. 

"Nothing?" she repeated as she rose an eyebrow at him. "You're just staring around my room aimlessly?" 

"Not aimlessly," he responded. Under the circumstances—circumstances he could not yet fully grasp anyway—he felt he would respond better to her comments if he did not censor his replies. 

"Then what were you aiming for?" 

"I just was surveying how far along your reorganization process was coming along."

"Not very." 

"It's looks good," he said with a shrug as he finally started to step towards her. An odd smile had taken shape across his lips, she noticed. It was halfway between his trademark smug smirk and an actual smile. Like he didn't know what he wanted to be, or what he was feeling. Part of her wanted to see a real smile. One of the rare ones he kept to himself and flashed only when a select few were around to see it. 

Based on the day's events, she knew she could logically and reasonably decide that Keiro knew something had definitely changed between them. They were no longer dabbling in an emotionless affair based solely on physical gratification. She had said at least that much the night Kingston had attacked her, but he expertly avoided saying anything about the topic. He had neither agreed nor disagreed. Then he had become protective over her, desperate to save her, when Scotts had momentarily lost all sanity. She said momentarily, but Keiro had been less kind. Logically and reasonably, that meant he did care for her on a deeper level than the physical one their relationship had started out on. 

But Attia didn't want reasons and logic to define the only real relationship she'd ever had. Perhaps she fell too far into the stereotype of women as emotional hopeless romantics to want to hear the words from Keiro's lips, instead of logically deducing the words herself. 

"You look tired," Keiro commented as he sat on the bed beside her. He left space between them, and did not touch her, but she could've easily reached out for his hand which rested on the bed between them. 

"The white of the bandage must have a washing-out effect on my face," she retorted and Keiro laughed, his real smile taking shape for the briefest of moments. 

"He said you lost a lot of blood," Keiro commented, a serious tone taking over his voice as he locked his eyes on hers. 

"Master Blake?" she asked and he nodded. As she shrugged, she pulled her legs up onto the bed and turned to face Keiro, folding her legs beneath her so she could sit comfortably. "Guess I'm ok after all." 

"Except the cuts on your neck," he replied sharply. 

"They're shallow." 

"He could've killed you, Attia," Keiro said, and Attia had no response for him. Silence followed as the two stared at each other. He felt like there was something else he wanted to say, and yet he could not put the words together. Even if he could have, he wasn't sure he could ever force the words from his lips. 

"He didn't, Keiro," she told him as though he hadn't realized that just yet. She smiled at him softly before she turned to look out the window on the side of the bed. Already, the sun was beginning to set, making her feel as though the day had gone by far too quickly after the events of the day. She knew most people were interested in the sun only at sunset or sunrise, times when the sun and landscape was most beautiful. Yet, she enjoyed every stage of the sun throughout the day. The sun was infinitely more beautiful than any number of lights Incarceron could have ever provided. 

"Will you stay with me tonight?" she asked without looking back at him. When he nodded his head, she couldn't tell, but she felt his hand reach around her waist, his fingers pressing into her skin gently. The bed shifted as he moved to sit closer to her, gapping the space between them. She never turned to look at him, and he took the opportunity to press his lips against the side of her neck she left exposed. The only space open for kisses was the space where her neck and shoulder connected, because the bandaged did not extend that low. 

Of all the women he'd ever been with, he'd never really been happy. He'd been satisfied several times over and in several different ways, but as Attia released the tension in her muscles and reclined back, resting her entire body against his, he felt genuinely happy. Only one other moment in his life had he ever felt happy, and it had been over a year ago when he left Incarceron behind indefinitely.


	14. Chapter 14

Attia was curled against him when he woke up the next morning. Her bandage was nowhere to be found, and there were blood spots on the sheets and on him to prove it. As he glanced around him, he found her clock, an item he couldn't imagine life without, and realized he wasn't even late for once in the last year. When he tried to stretch, Attia groaned in her sleep and had started to turn. When he watched her, her eyes slowly opened and peered around until she met his gaze. For a moment, she only stared at him until she started to smile brightly, still leaving the silence between them untouched. He couldn't help feeling she was surprised to find him there at all. Even after she'd asked him to stay. When she had no intention of exploring the physical aspect of their relationship. 

"You're bleeding," Keiro told her as he watched a drop of blood form on the corner of the lower cut on her neck. She looked momentarily confused as she reached up to touch her wounds gingerly. As she withdrew her fingers, she stared at the smeared blood on her fingertip with narrowed eyes. 

"I don't remember taking off the bandage," she admitted as she turned her eyes up at him again. 

"I don't either," he replied and she laughed before she put her head down on his chest. She didn't pay him any attention as she remained laying in bed. Her thoughts wandered, and not one settled on the idea of Keiro admitting he preferred a night with her to a night with any other woman. Eventually, she groaned and rolled away from him as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. It seemed a ritual had been created as she moved around the room and prepared herself for the day, while Keiro lounged in her bed watching with curious eyes. Half the time, he went through the first half of the day in clothes from the night before, before he actually made it to his own room to change. It was ridiculously lazy in comparison to all the little things that go into Attia's morning. With the fresh wound on her neck, however, she opted for a comfortable pants and matching top, and tied her hair back easily. Loose strands fell around her face, but she only tucked them behind her ear before she turned to Keiro. 

"Get up," she told him as she rolled her eyes. Any sweetness she might've harbored towards him recently had seemed to evaporate instantly, and he met her tone with a cold stare before he finally climbed out of her bed to start pulling on his clothes. 

"Why are you suddenly in such a rush?" he commented as he attempted to tame his long hair without much success. When she offered him a brush, he declined with a stare she'd deemed childish, though she didn't actually comment on his behavior. Of course, once or twice when she'd been out of the room, he'd used the same brush for that exact purpose, but he was suddenly too proud to admit it. 

"Council is meeting on Kingston, Scotts, and King Damien soon," Attia told him as she watched his button up his shirt. "But I need to go to the infirmary and get another bandage first." 

"I doubt you'll be missing anything anyway," he replied as he glanced down to be sure he had aligned the buttons correctly. "I'm fairly certain things with Scotts and Kingston will go the way you expect them to." 

"Whatever, Keiro," she told him, but he could hear the smile in her voice. "Just get out." 

"And tell Finn all about my tall blonde?" 

Attia remained speechless, even as Keiro peered up at her from the other side of the room. If at any point in all the time she'd ever known Keiro that she'd hated that smug smirk across his face the most, that moment was it. 

"Tall, leggy, blonde," she said. He knew she had meant to say the words with disgust, and yet she sounded more amused than anything. It was ironic, and he had meant the description of the girl to be that way. 

"With those talented ankles that lock to tightly," he added as he strode across the room towards the short brunette. The closer he got to her, the more pronounced the smile on her lips became. "Didn't I say my story would be loosely based on the truth?" he asked as he put his hands on her waist, but she refused to meet his gaze. "That's the true part, in case you were wondering."

"I wasn't," she assured him as she finally meet his gaze. Up close, she hated the smug look even more. He didn't respond to her, and instead he pressed his lips against hers. For the duration of the kiss, she remained stubbornly still, and he laughed against her lips until he pulled away and looked down at her with narrowed eyes. 

"Fine, be that way," he told her as he shrugged his shoulders and released her waist. "I'm fine without it." Keiro shrugged his shoulders as she back away from her, but his eyes never left hers. She scoffed and had started to laugh as she watched him. 

"I don't think so," she told him and he rose an eyebrow. 

"What does that mean?" 

"I means, you'll be back here begging for sexual favors long before I go looking for you," she told him, her eyes holding his gaze, but neither even realized the intensity building between them. 

Keiro scoffed as he tried to laugh. Even when entertained, he looked smug, but Attia tried her best not to let it bother her. 

"I doubt that," he replied finally as he shrugged. 

"Fine, we'll see who goes looking for the other first," Attia told him as she started to unbutton her pants. Keiro's eyes had immediately shifted from her eyes. 

"What are you doing?" he demanded. 

"Changing," she told him simply as she turned her back to him and retrieved a dress skirt from the chair near the wall. 

"That's not fair," he replied strongly, but Attia only shrugged without even bothering to look back at him. Before she could actually strip the clothes from her body, Keiro had fled the room, groaning as he went. It didn't occur to either that Keiro could easily seek out the attention of any other woman at Court. 

Perhaps an hour later, Keiro strode into Council and took his seat on the other side of Finn. He took a deep breath as he settled into his seat, but Finn could tell he was fidgeting. Though he had changed his clothes before arriving, Finn had a feeling Keiro and Attia had been together that night. Since he learned of their relationship, he couldn't stop wondering when exactly it had begun. And how long they'd been flaunting it around, but nobody was clever enough to see it. The more he thought about the two, the more he realized it was fairly clear the way they spoke to one another, the way they regarded one another, even the way they argued, that they were involved. 

"We will begin when Lady Attia arrives," Lord Vega declared as he turned to Finn. Though Vega seemed to have simply stated something, he waited for Finn's approval before he turned away. Claudia had a seat next to Finn on the opposite side of Keiro, and Casper had for once decided to show up. He didn't seem to care that Claudia had taken his place and pushed his down one spot. An empty seat was made available between Keiro and Finn, and Keiro knew it was for Attia. Under any other circumstances, he wouldn't care, but the reminder of the little game they'd started that morning haunted him. He doubted Attia would be playing fair. 

As though he needed proof she wouldn't, she walked into the room, a fresh but smaller bandage across her neck. But Keiro was paying attention only to the dress she was wearing. It definitely wasn't the dress she had made him think she was putting on. Instead, it was a modern design with short sleeves. There was modest coverage over her chest that still made her upper torso appear attractive. The short length of the dress left her legs uncovered, and as she sat in the seat beside him, she crossed her legs and the dress rose up even farther. 

"How are you feeling, Lady Attia?" one of the Councilmen asked out of concern and she answered him, but Keiro wasn't paying attention. The meeting started, and as everyone expected, Scotts and Kingston were found guilty of treason, an offense that left no rights to those accused. As such Kingston and Scotts would have no fair trial, only one chance to give up information in exchange for mercy. Keiro and Attia, and probably Finn, were fuzzy on the exact details of what their sentence would entail, but none of them bothered asking for clarification. When the topic of King Damien arose, conflicting opinions about what should be done were voiced. 

"There is no way for Scotts' wife not to know about her husband behavior," one of the Councilmen reasoned as he looked up and down the table, his eyes meeting various people's gazes. "We should set up a military party and go there immediately." 

"And do what?" another Councilmen replied with a sigh. "Knock on her door? She probably doesn't even know her husband has been arrested."

"Which is why now is the best time to go!" 

Keiro's loud groan was enough to stop the bickering. He'd even managed to pull a few stares. Finn usually encouraged the Councilmen to ignore Keiro and carry on, but even he had begun to lose interest. 

"Your Majesty?" Vega asked and Finn slowly meet his gaze. "Shall we continue another day?" 

"Why don't you schedule a meeting with Scotts and don't let her think anything is wrong, and we can all get on with our lives," Keiro commented as he stared towards the Councilmen but not at any one in particular. "And send a few people there to blend in send back information about whether or not she's found out and reacted." 

"Good," Finn said as he nodded. "It's settled. We'll do that." 

The five seated at what had become the 'royal end of the table' rose from the seats rather quickly, whereas the rest of the Council remained where they were. 

"That's it?" the first Councilmen asked as he looked up at Finn in disbelief. His idea was effectively rejected, and it was clear he wasn't very happy about it. "Just agree with everything he says?" he asked with a hand motion in the direction of Keiro. 

"Everything I say?" Keiro repeated with a scoff. "I'm not even here half the time, so I find it difficult to believe Finn listens to me any more than he listens to you. Besides, if he had listened to me, you wouldn't even be here!" 

"Let it go," Attia said as she put her hand on his arm and gently pushed in the direction of the exit. Finn's eyes had been quick enough to notice the small gesture, but he had been looking for it throughout the entire meeting. He refused to believe it was possible his only two friends, other than Claudia, were capable of having an affair without giving themselves away. As they left the room, Casper followed them. Finn and Claudia lingered behind with the rest of Council for only a moment before they too left the room. 

"You think that dress is cute?" Keiro snipped as he and Attia walked down a corridor alone after taking a few turns away from the Council meeting room. 

"I wasn't really going for cute," she replied and Keiro did not look down at her. One glance upward, however, and she saw the irritation laced with a smile across his face. 

"That's cheating," he finally said and she scoffed as she stopped walking in the empty hallway. Keiro noticed and stopped as well before he slowly turned back to face her. 

"Cheating?" 

"Yes, cheating. You're trying to tempt me, and that's not fair." 

"You do realize how incredibly childish you sound, right?" she asked as she rose an eyebrow at him. The way she peered upward at him made her even more attractive, but he couldn't tell if she was doing it on purpose or not. Her dress was so distracting; he couldn't really look at her objectively. Instead of responding, he just stared down at her, waiting for her facial expression to change as her temperament changed. 

The next few days continued in a relatively similar manner. Some had taken notice of Attia's sudden wardrobe change, but only a select few were daring enough to comment on it. Finn was not included within them. Almost daily Council meetings were held, and the majority of the topics covered had something to do with Kingston, Scotts, Scotts' unknowing wife, or King Damien to the North. Keiro wanted to refuse to attend, but Attia still went to them, and when he grew bored enough, he'd wandered into them. Casper was absent more often than not. 

He had suddenly become infatuated with one girl, and it was painfully clear she distracted him all hours of the day. The daughter of a Lord, she had been born into her place at Court, but nobody paid her any attention. Claudia and Attia knew she had suffered at the words and biting comments of the other women at Court, all of whom fell into one of two categories: women who had already been used and left behind by Casper, therefore jealous of the woman most recently on his arm, and the women whom had so far failed to catch his attention, therefore jealous of the woman who had caught his eye first. 

Of course, between ten Council members, all of whom have an individual opinion, and the growing concerns of Finn as King and his overall effectiveness, Casper's romantic life was not so closely watched as it might've been otherwise. There had been a time when the King and his closest friends made an afternoon of watching Casper and the women he toyed with. Those had truly been entertaining days. Currently, as Finn, Claudia, Keiro, and Attia, sat at the end of the table listening to the Councilmen bicker amongst themselves, Finn longed for the days he chastised Claudia, Keiro, and Attia for partaking in bets. Of course, the way Keiro eyed Attia, seated across from him, Finn doubted Keiro was thinking of the same harmless innocent fun they had used to have. 

"You're all driving me insane," Keiro finally said loudly as he groaned and leaned back in his chair. Attia laughed and grinned as she held his gaze. The men of Council had slowly turned to meet his gaze as well. "I thought we settled this already days ago." 

"We are not all in agreement," Vega replied when nobody else did. 

"Well, I don't really care," Keiro answered with a shrug. The honesty in his voice only added to the amusement Attia, Claudia, and Finn were undoubtedly taking from his outburst. "If it was up to me, we'd just march on down to the cells and kill them both right now." 

"Never mind the fact they could have valuable information?" a Councilmen had seemed to decide to humor Keiro's direct, and perhaps premature, approach. 

"And even if they told us, would you give them a lighter sentence?" Keiro replied as he turned to the man who had spoken. "Never mind he tried to kill Attia and we found letters exchanged with King Damien in both of their rooms in each of their own handwriting," Keiro added, speaking in a tone mocking that of the man questioning his approach. Keiro might not have wanted to admit it, but the direct approach that very well saved his life—as well as Finn's and Attia's—within Incarceron didn't work quite as well on the Outside. 

"Of course, otherwise there's no motivation for him to tell us." 

"Well, if you held a gun to his head, he'd like to live." 

"I don't know firsthand what it was like Inside, but such tactics will not be used here, Your Grace," the man replied, his tone growing stronger and louder as he wholeheartedly objected to Keiro's view. 

"Of course you don't," Keiro replied, keeping his smug smile in place and his tone lighthearted. Only Attia saw how the comment had really affected him. "I'm sure the only knife you use is at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, right?" 

"It's view as uncivilized to just pull a weapon on anybody at any given moment." 

"Opposed to drugging and faking the death of your pretty little Prince and trying to make Casper King? I don't know which part is more uncivilized, the actually drugging, or the fact you'd have had twenty little Caspers running around from twenty different women. And I wouldn't even be willing to say one of them would've been Claudia. She probably would've killed herself before that ever came to, because between him and every pregnant maid hand with a bastard prince, you really can't blame her." 

"Are you finished?" Vega asked, hoping Keiro's rant would come to an end soon. He certainly had a way of telling the truth without twisting it too much and yet making it sound more entertaining than it actually was at the same time. 

"I would not have committed suicide," Claudia objected and Keiro's grin had quickly shaped into a genuine smile. Of all the ridiculous things he'd managed to squeeze into a few short comments, the idea of suicide was all Claudia objected to. 

"You're right," Keiro agreed as he nodded. "You're more homicidal in nature. Who'd have been first? Casper or one of the women?" 

"Casper," Attia answered for her, and it was Claudia's turn to smile as she held back her laughter. Finn remained quiet throughout the banter that continued around him. As entertaining as it was, he did not want to appear so childish in front of Council. But he doubted that was how Council viewed the three seated on each side of him. 

"Killing a King is a little harsh," Keiro pointed out as he shrugged. He held Attia's gaze but anything more than friendship between them was undetectable. Only Finn could see it, but of course, he was still looking too hard. "You could push him off a horse though," he added as he turned his gaze to Claudia. Though nobody in the room was at fault for what had happened to young Prince Giles, the conversation still managed to somehow mock them.


	15. Chapter 15

Attia was in her office working on Finn's finical accounts while she enjoyed the silence around her. As her neck healed, she went without the bandages that usually restricted the turning of her head. Not to mention the itching. Since Finn was relatively conservative concerning his allotted finances, she finished with them rather quickly. Of course, he only paid his employment every month, and rarely made purchases for himself. Then came Keiro's finances. She'd never known it was possible to squander every bit of his allotted allowance on women. Of course, he wasn't buying women. He mostly bought alcohol and various other things that she was fairly certain went into his quest for women. His purchases as of late, however, had slowed down dramatically. She could hardly believe only one request came to her in the last month to send funds from Keiro's account to that of whomever he bought goods from. 

Of course, as she stared down at the form, she wasn't even sure Keiro had made the purchase. Before she deducted the funds, she tucked the paper into her folder with the intention of asking him about it later. She was fairly certain his only personal purchase in the last four weeks was not at the Jeweler's office. Keiro seemed to visibly boil just at the mention of the Jeweler. 

She collected her things with the intention of heading towards Finn's public office to get his signature on the final copy of his monthly expenses. She walked down the corridor and turned the corner before she continued in the direction of Finn's office. After the walk, she reached the doors to his office, but she could tell already he wasn't there. It was silent as she approached the doors, and as she pushed one open she confirmed her thoughts about the office's vacancy. She wasn't aware there was a Council meeting that day, but she went in the direction of Council's room anyway. She couldn't think of any other place where Finn would be. 

The hallway where the Council meeting room was located was quiet as well, but she knew that could occur during any Council meeting, and so she continued forward. She reached out for the handle on the door and pulled it open, but paused in the doorway as she stared at Keiro. He was alone in the room looked around at the table as though he were completely lost. 

"What are you doing here?" she asked him with narrowed eyes as she stepped further into the room and let the door swing shut behind her. 

"What are you doing here?" he repeated as he met her stare. At least he tried to hold her stare. Eventually, his eyes traveled downward from her eyes, pausing at any particular area of her body that commanded his attention. When his eyes eventually found her eyes again, he noted she had become particularly annoyed in a relatively short amount of time. 

"I'm looking for Finn. His office was empty, and I thought there was a Council meeting I didn't know about," she said once his attention had returned to her and had faded from her physical form. She wasn't even wearing any particularly attractive dress. 

"It's canceled," he replied with a shrug. 

"Then why are you here?" she scrutinized with narrowed eyes, and he didn't appreciate the questioning nature of her tone. 

"Why do you care?" 

"Fine," she replied as she turned her eyes downward and opened her folder. "I need to ask you about this purchase request that came in," she said as she searched for the request form. 

Before she could find it, Keiro had approached her and snapped the folder shut in her hand. She peered up at him, obviously annoyed, but he ignored her completely as he took hold of the folder against her will. He tossed it to the table, and it landed flat on the top before it slid towards the center. Before Attia could respond, he'd already lifted her by her waist and set her on the edge of the long table. One hand remained on her waist while the other had moved up to her shoulder and neck before he pressed his lips against hers. She responded to him for only a few moments, before her hands lat flat against his chest and she pushed him away. 

"You lost," she told him but he only stared at her. The seriousness in his facial expression, which was far more serious than she'd ever seen in him since they'd first meet, was almost comical to her. 

"No shame in wanting a beautiful woman," he replied before he successfully managed to press their lips together a second time. She responded with enthusiasm to match his as she reached up to touch his neck. Eventually, his kisses ventured away from her lips and found her neck. Though she had gone the good week and a half without really letting thoughts of him distract her, she underestimated exactly how talented he was with his lips. Usually, when their bedroom worthy antics found a place in a public hallway, or even her office, the idea of being mere seconds away from being found was exciting to her. Now that she'd gone without any of his late night company, it didn't even occur to her they were in Council's meeting room, a room anybody could walk into at any given moment when Council was not in session. The only thing on Attia's mind was Keiro, his lips moving on the sensitive skin of her neck, his hands slowly moving in unpredictable ways around her body. 

Slowly, he returned his kisses to her neglected lips, and her arms tightened around him. The third kiss was significantly slower than the second, but the heated passion remained lingering between them. Attia's fingers hand even found their way to Keiro's neatly pulled back ponytail and deftly began to loosen its hold on his blonde strands. As his hair slowly started to fall around his face, she could feel his lips twisting into some smile against hers even as he held their kiss. Just from the feel of it, she knew he was wearing that damn smug smirk, and yet she didn't really resent half as much then as she usually did. 

"Are you finished?" Finn's voice clearly held sarcasm, but neither Keiro nor Attia paid it any attention as they slowly turned towards the doorway. Of course, it wasn't just Finn staring at them, but he was the only one not in some state of shock. Keiro's smug look overpowered the sheer surprise in mere seconds when he saw Vega right behind Finn watching the pair of discovered lovers with what Keiro hoped was something a bit stronger than surprise. 

"You said it was canceled," Attia groaned as she turned to Keiro, her hands landed on his chest in quick succession. 

"Just… pushed back," Finn clarified, but it was unclear if either had heard him or even cared. 

"Ow," he groaned as he turned back to her with narrowed eyes. "I thought it was." 

"Clearly, it wasn't," she snapped as she managed to hit him one more time despite his efforts to guard himself. She jumped down from the table and turned her back to Finn and the rest of the men peeking through the doorway as she collected herself. After retrieving her folder from the middle of the table, she turned back, her eyes focusing on Finn first, then Keiro, whose smug grin had gone from enjoyable to downright obnoxious in record time. "Can't believe you," she muttered before she hit him against with her folder. 

"That really isn’t necessary," he told her strongly as he took hold of her arm and spun her back around. Under his strength, she was easily manipulated physically, but even Keiro wasn't daring enough to keep such a hold on her. When he released his grip, she remained staring up at him, while Council had slowly started filing into the room. 

"I hope your whores will be just fine after the rumors start," she chided and Keiro mockingly laughed back at her. 

"Rumors aren't rumors when they're true," he called back as she started to turn away from him. 

"Then again, who would actually believe it," she laughed with a shrug without ever actually looking back at him. She left the room before he could respond, and she could only guess how his face had contorted at his comment. Truly there was no worse offense than insinuating there was a woman Keiro was incapable of reaching. Of course, it was true there were in fact women who escaped Keiro's arm length. Claudia was among them, but Keiro had never even considered her as a possibility in the realm of romance and lust. Attia's name used to be right next to that of the future queen's. All the up until that fateful moment she fell from grace. 

As Keiro swallowed, enduring the lingering stares from all the men of Council, he forced himself to balance on his own two feet. After accomplishing that much, he put one foot in front of the other and eventually, he made it to his seat next to Finn. Attia was clearly none too pleased with him, and so it made more sense to stay for the Council meeting than go chasing her down. With some inspiration on Finn's part, the Council meeting began with minimal distractions and interruptions, namely because Keiro was far too preoccupied to be concerned with the trivial nature Council's meetings tended to have. 

He could think of nothing that had changed the night Finn and Council officially declared Protocol a thing of the past. Attia had worn a particularly attractive dress that evening, and Keiro had definitely shown his appreciation, but he couldn't really place what the difference had been. Why she had responded to his advancements. Surely, he'd made such advancements in the past, but Attia had always treated them exactly how Keiro had meant them. Momentary. Fleeting. Brought on by some drunken stupor. But maybe that first encounter wasn't when the change occurred. It suddenly donned on Keiro that Attia hadn't been pleased with herself or her behavior the day after or the weeks that followed. The change had occurred when she came back, when she gave into him a second, a third, a fourth time. And of course he had pursued her. Any man who had even an inkling of a chance with a woman anything like Attia would have to be certifiably insane not to pursue her. She was quite possibly the most attractive woman he'd ever spent a night with. But she had wit to match it. And nothing was more exciting or terrifying as a woman wielding a blade of some sort. And absolutely nothing could compare to a woman who knew how to use it. 

But was it grace she had fallen from? Why must she and Claudia have to fall to be within his reach? Well, Claudia he couldn't care less about. Finn had Claudia, or more accurately, Claudia had Finn. Was she falling as well, or was Finn falling down for a woman born within the unforgiving walls of Incarceron? If Finn was inherently higher than Claudia and Attia, what made Keiro inherently lower than those two stunning women? 

"Keiro," Finn's voice pulled him violently into the present, and the confusion was clear in his expression. He cleared his throat as he peered around the table, but he only really noticed Vega. Vega, the self-proclaimed Head Councilmen. Mostly because he was most talented at talking eloquently and well versed in reasoning. Born to be a politician. But Keiro saw the aging man who had requested Attia's hand in marriage, not once, not twice, but three separate times. And from Finn. As though Finn had the authority to dictate who Attia was to marry and when. 

"Do you have an opinion on the matter?" Finn asked as he cleared his throat. Keiro's eyes remained on Vega, but they had refocused on Vega's folded hands on the edge of the table. When Vega stretched his shoulders, he released his hands and rested them separate from one another on the table top. His left forefinger started to tap rhythmically against the wood of the table. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. A hollow sound. No power behind the sound of a human nail striking wood. Human nails were no match for the intensity of wood. Metal, though. Metal striking wood could fill the room with noise. 

"Keiro," Finn repeated and Keiro slowly turned to him but said nothing. For a moment, the two only stared at each other, but Finn could not get a reading on his closest friend. Usually, Finn could guess from a small number of things that were bothering or occupying Keiro's mind. Now, mere minutes after his and Attia's secret was discovered, Keiro was far too conflicted for Finn to see anything at all. To see anything beyond the self-doubt made clear as Keiro started fiddling with his left hand, namely his forefinger. 

Finn's nod was almost undetectable, but Keiro had seen it. Without waiting for so much of a word, Keiro stood from his seat and left the room quickly. It was clear only Finn and Keiro knew what problem was truly behind Keiro's behavior, but most of the Councilmen were willing to bet it had something to do with Attia. 

Except nothing seemed to change after all of Council were made aware of the happenings between Keiro and Attia. In fact, it almost made perfect sense. Claudia and Finn were certainly paired off, and right beside them at almost all times was Keiro and Attia. They, and sometimes Casper, created that high hierarchy around the King which nobody could penetrate. It was the impassable line between the King and all of his subjects. It was painfully clear to all of Council that Claudia, Keiro, and Attia were not the King's subjects. They were held in such high regard, he probably would've crowned them all if he could. For Attia and Keiro to pair with each other meant no outsiders would be brought into that group. Even if an outsider were brought it, it was highly doubtful they could ever really find a place among them. Whether Finn and Claudia had known all along about Attia and Keiro was never really determined. 

Keiro attended Council meetings as regularly as he had before, but the cracks about clothes from the night prior had stopped. Mostly because it was no longer a running joke about which woman it was. Attia wandered in and out of Council meetings and stayed for the duration of a few. Her daily life seemed to have no difference in it at all. Even the bantering between the pair still remained, but it was no longer their shared joke when they poked and prodded each other. Mostly everyone allowed within ten feet of Finn was privy to Attia and Keiro's banter and the hidden meaning concealed with it. 

"You don't even know if the wife knew at all," Attia argued as she stared across the Council table at Keiro. 

"How could she not know?" he replied as he rose an eyebrow at her. "They live together! How can you not notice when your husband starts sending letters to another King?" 

"Not everybody notices every little thing, Keiro," Attia replied strongly. "And he could've been very secretive about it." 

"What? Like bribing the maid?" 

"Or sleeping with her." 

"Aren't you just an advocate for happily ever after?" His tone had been rather harsh, his facial expression not much more forgiving than his voice, and yet Attia smiled. But it wasn't one of her condescending smiles most of the men had become accustomed to. It was a genuine smile she had even tilted her head away from the table in an attempt to conceal it. Of course, Keiro's eyes had caught sight of the smile, or at least part of it, as had a few of the Councilmen who had bothered to look. 

"I don't understand why we're still debating this," Keiro finally said, pulling attention away from Attia. He turned to look at Finn, but Finn's attention remained on the Councilmen. "I thought we already settled this." 

"I thought so too," Finn admitted before he drew in a breath. "This is mostly for everyone who keeps bothering me about it, and wants to keep discussing the other options." 

"Well, if you're King why don't you just declare what you want to do and send away all the annoying shits who want to argue?" Keiro suggested, earning stares from nearly everyone at the table, including Attia. 

"He doesn't want to be a forceful King," Attia commented, but Keiro's eyes lingered on Finn for a long moment before he slowly turned to stare directly across the table at Attia. 

"Perhaps he's interested in being effective." 

"A good King will always listen to the advisors on every subject," Vega's voice floated between Keiro and Attia. Keiro visibly tensed at the words, but did not respond to them in any other way. Attia did not look towards Vega, either, but instead watched Keiro's response to Vega. She never really understood why Vega enraged Keiro so easily. 

"I think you should just marry her, Finn," Keiro commented after he cleared his throat and turned away from Attia to focus on Finn. 

"What?" Finn replied, taken completely off guard by the response. 

"Claudia, obviously," Keiro added with a shrug. "You should just marry her and get it over with. Who really gives a damn what King Dennis thinks, hm?" 

"Damien," Attia corrected, but Keiro pretended as though he had not heard her. 

"What's the worst he can do? Declare war on us? That's a little harsh, don't you think? Surely all these advisors and Councilmen know how to call a bluff." Keiro reclined in his seat, his hands folding behind his head. His eyes had wandered for a few seconds to Attia, before they returned to Finn. 

"And if it's not a bluff?" Finn asked, and Keiro shrugged. 

"Go to war. What's a few hundred lives in the grand scheme of things?" 

"That's preposterous!" Vega was the first to leap at Keiro's suggestion. "Hundreds of live would be at stake. We could never risk war. Not now. Not so early in his reign!" 

"Hundreds of lives, huh?" Keiro replied, his voice keeping the cool demeanor his body had. He faced Vega, and though Keiro appeared nonchalant, Attia could detect the coldness in him. "I wonder how many people died a day in Incarceron. I bet it was about the same number of people that die during the entire course of a war here." 

"That has nothing to do with the topic on hand."

"No?" Keiro asked, his lips turning up in a smug smile. "But doesn't it bother you? Even at all? Even a little bit, Vega? That you're so sure these hundreds of lives shouldn't be wasted on a war because some little piece of shit with a crown thinks he can declare who can and cannot be accepted in society in another kingdom? But the number of people you murdered in that little sugar cube of a Prison in inconsequential?" 

"I murdered?" 

"You and everyone else, I'm afraid." 

"I think we've done enough for the day," Finn commented before Vega could respond. 

"I had nothing to do with Incarceron or its upkeep. I made no decisions concerning it, whatsoever. You're accusations are severely misplaced, Your Grace." Vega used Keiro's title of reference, but the coldness to his voice overshadowed any polite words or phrasing he may have used. 

"On the other hand, you're affections are severely misplaced," Keiro countered, and though only three people in the room knew what he meant, Vega's face paled. Within seconds, he had gathered his things, turned his back to the table, and fled the room before all the other Councilmen. 

"That was unnecessary, Keiro," Finn said once the room had cleared of everyone other than Keiro and Attia. 

"Was it?" Keiro replied sharply, one eyebrow raised.

"I don't get it," Attia admitted and Keiro fought the smile from appearing on his lips. He was only successful on a minor level, considering Finn believed Keiro's cough was genuine, while Attia's eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. Nonetheless, she left the topic alone.


	16. Chapter 16

Attia never actually got around to asking Keiro about the Jeweler's request. She assumed he wouldn't even notice if the money was deducted from his account, and it was far less trouble to give the money to the Jeweler than debate him on Keiro's purchases. As soon as Keiro's lips found her neck, however, any complete thoughts she had aimlessly roaming about her mind faded into nothingness. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, her head rolling to one side in an effort to provide Keiro with more space on that side of her neck. 

Since the discovery of their affair, Attia had managed to keep Keiro at arm's length, but eventually her defenses had worn thin. Like she had feared, rumors and critical speculation had started at Court and spread like wildfire. It was for that reason Attia had kept away from Keiro at all times of the day, including the nights. It was the nights they spent together that affected the following mornings after all. Some of the rumors were absolutely ridiculous, including those of their hidden marriage. Others were highly probable and yet Attia could not bear to hear them. Those were the ones speculating her pregnancy. When the stressful environment of Court worn her thin, she actually encouraged the most outrageous of the rumors which provided her with the most entertainment. Much to Keiro's dismay, Attia enjoyed hearing the retellings of how she unashamedly reprimanded any woman suspected of having previous sexual encounters with Keiro. That of course was quite a long list. 

Now that Court life had finally began to grate on her final nerve, Keiro's strong hold around her waist was a welcomed stress relief. It seemed all it took was a strong embrace and a few well placed kisses and caresses to make all the tension of her body melt away. She knew it hadn't always been that way, but now that their relationship had evolved to that point, she was certainly taking full advantage. 

As he lowered himself above her in the center of her bed, she had no regrets. She certainly did have a number of regrets from her life, but none that involved Keiro and their present situation. Perhaps only a few shorts months ago, her biggest regret concerning Keiro was that she had not left him behind any one of those days in Incarceron. The coldest part of her heart, the part Incarceron had forced upon her, knew Keiro would've left her and Finn behind any chance he had, provided Finn or herself didn't have the precious key to Escape. Perhaps it had been fate Keiro never had the chance to leave them behind. 

Now, everything she'd ever had with Keiro made her see life in such a radically different way. The day she had stepped out of Incarceron and into Freedom, she was certain she was everything she could be in her entire life. She had learned to survive through anything the Prison threw before her, and nothing less than that could change her anymore. It was foolish view of the world she knew now. Now that she had changed. Now that her heart had melted, not that she could admit that to anybody, least of all herself. 

"Finn's declared that today's meeting will be the final one about Kingston, Scotts, and King Damien," Keiro commented randomly as he lay at the center of Attia's bed. Though he spoke of the current day, the sun was not up for it even be day yet. Attia was resting against him, their bodies in line with one another. One of his arms was wrapped around her shoulders, and though every other time his arm had been in that placement, she felt as though he had only ever rested his arm there. Now, it felt like he was holding her there. 

"Will he keep the decision he's already made, or is there room to persuade him either way?" 

"He didn't say anything else about it." 

"Vega wants us to stay here. Let the situation play out further before we intervene." 

"Vega wants a lot of things," Keiro replied and Attia caught the edge in his voice. 

"Why do you hate him so much?" 

"He's conniving."

"They all are, Keiro. Including you and me," Attia laughed as she readjusted her position, but remained laying against him. "Everyone is here," she added with a breath. The tone of helplessness in her voice was definitely discernable, but Keiro hadn't the slightest idea of how to address it, and so he left it alone. 

"He just bothers me, is all," Keiro said in response, hoping it was enough of a reason for Attia to let the topic slide. 

"It's odd, though, considering most of the time you and he seem to agree on matters, even if you can never agree with each other." 

Keiro hoped that if he said nothing more about Vega, Attia would stop talking about him as well. The morning after a night he spent with her was not of the prime moments for conversation about Vega, he'd decided. Especially after he hadn't been with her in what felt like quite a while. Not that he hadn't tried to be with her sooner, she was just rather well versed in the art of turning down a man. He assumed such a talent came with a lot of practice. 

"Do you like it here?" Attia asked after a long moment of silence had passed between them. Keiro let out a dry laugh as he turned his head and directed his eyes at her. "I don't mean instead of Incarceron. I just mean in general," she clarified. Of course he preferred Court to Incarceron, but she wondered if he felt the way she did. That Court wasn't quite as free as she had hoped it would be. 

"It's… fun," he answered with a shrug. He didn't know what else to say. He didn't know how to describe Court. He had all the women he could've ever dreamt of, but he'd recently only pursued one. And when she turned him down, he spent the night alone. In that regard, he wasn't really living up to all the things he had said he would do when he Escaped. He had all the drink and food he could ever need and more, and he definitely took advantage of that. He wore the ridiculous clothing from ages ago, and had since gotten used to the restrictions they placed on him physically. He attended his duties as the High Duke of the Realm instead of roaming around aimlessly like he had wanted. In all, no, Court life wasn't all the things he wanted, and yet he was happy still. So he wasn't sure what Attia wanted to hear. 

"Fun? You're having fun?" 

"Well, aren't you?" he replied with a wide grin as he rolled over to lay above her. The arm had had been wrapped around her now held down one of her arms to her side. Her legs were also bond to the bed by his legs and waist, leaving her with only one good arm to attempt to free herself from his grasp. Of course, she didn't really want to leave the space beneath him. She wanted him to stay there well beyond the sunrise. He lowered his lips to hers but pulled away after a moment as though he were testing her willingness to participate in early morning activities. Based on how enthusiastically she responded, he knew she was very interested in a continuation of their night. The smug grin that took form across his lips didn't go unnoticed by Attia, who was still pinned beneath him, but she didn't say anything about it if it bothered her at all. Since he knew she kept a knife taped to the backside of her bed, an easily accessible location in the middle of the night, and could so easily get away from his domination if she so wanted, he knew she was very interested. 

Time had seemed to blow passed the pair who eventually wandered into Council's meeting hall a good half hour after the scheduled meeting time. Not only were the two late and arriving together, Keiro hadn't had time to change his clothes. Feeling the eyes watching him as he took his seat next to Finn, he noted how convenient an extra set of clothes located in Attia's bedchamber could be. Of course, if he couldn't even manage the courage to give her the necklace he'd bought for her, how could he admit to himself that things between them had gotten so serious he'd need to start keeping things in her room? 

"Today's decision will be final," Finn declared simply as he cleared his throat and turned to look at Keiro, then Attia, who'd taken the seat beside him. Claudia was seated on the other side of Finn, and Casper was nowhere to be seen. Truly, the woman he'd been pursuing so enthusiastically was distracting him entirely. To give her credit, she had so far lasted much longer than most women did. 

"Thank god," Keiro groaned as he leaned his head back against his chair. Attia's smile was slight and nearly undetectable, but Vega, who was studying her face and the way she and Keiro interacted with one another, took notice of it. "I think you should at least send some Royal Guards or something over there and seize the land until you can figure out if she knew or not. Somebody there has to know. Whether it's the wife or the damn butler." 

"You absolutely cannot just seize the lands!" one of the Councilmen quickly jumped onto the argument. He was one of the few Councilmen adamantly against Scotts' wife having any involvement in the treasonous behavior of her husband. 

"Why the hell not? He's King, isn't he?" Keiro replied as he rose an eyebrow and turned to stare at the Councilmen seated down the table from him. "Can't he do whatever he wants?" 

"Not without valid reason," the man answered strongly. 

"What? Two damn scars across Attia's neck isn't a valid reason for you? Sounds valid to me. Doesn't that sound valid to you, Finn?" Keiro's question was obviously directed to the King, and yet Keiro's cold gaze remained on the argument-prone Councilmen. 

"That really says nothing about his wife, Keiro," Finn replied, finally pulling Keiro's gaze to him. The coldness to his stare had faded into complete shock. 

"Are you kidding me?" 

"It doesn't, and you know it," Finn replied, but Keiro did not respond right away. Instead, he let the still silence linger for a moment long enough for tension to form. 

"For freedom, this place kind of sucks, Finn," Keiro answered sharply. His tone was unnecessarily harsh, but the edge was definitely present. The comment had surprised everyone at the table, except Finn, Attia, and Claudia, all of whom understood exactly what Keiro meant. The Councilmen, however, were left wondering what the comment had to do with Scotts and the predicament of his wife. 

"There are rules everywhere, Keiro." 

"Bullshit," Keiro replied, the acid in his voice becoming more apparent. Attia drew in a deep breath as she reached over to touch Keiro's leg. He didn't seem to even feel her touch since he didn't respond to it at all. "I didn't almost die so that we could be pushed around by ten old men, Finn. If you were planning on being King, you should've been prepared to actually do something with it." 

"Like what?" Finn demanded, suddenly becoming defensive at Keiro's accusatory remarks. "What would you have had me do, Keiro? Nobody wanted me here! I did what I had to do to keep my position."

"Like bending over backwards to please everyone? We can tell." 

"Keiro, let it be," Attia said as she turned to look at him. As he turned back, his hand touched her hand that had been resting on his leg beneath the table. 

"Let it be?" he repeated as he stared at her for a moment. She said nothing back to him, and he leaned back against his seat as he rolled his shoulders and let out a deep breath. 

"If you're not happy here, you are always free to leave," Vega commented. The tension had immediately tripled as Keiro slowly turned to look at him. Finn tensed as he looked to Vega as well.

"I'm willing to bet you think you could get Attia to marry you if I wasn't here," Keiro boldly replied and only silence followed. Finn cleared his throat as he rose from his seat. He was ready to say something, but Attia had beaten him to it.

"What does that even mean?" she demanded as she looked first to Keiro. When Keiro never even glanced in her direction, she turned her gaze to Vega. Though Vega was at least ten years their senior, his aging face still managed a cold stare that held Keiro's easily. When Attia turned to Finn, she avoided his gaze. 

"Meeting's over," Finn declared loudly, hoping Vega would leave the room, but he had no such luck. In fact nobody moved at all. 

"Marriage requests are supposed to be a private matter," Vega commented finally and Attia's eyes fell onto him, narrowing as she processed the meaning behind his words. 

"Oops," Keiro replied sarcastically before he rolled his eyes and looked away from Vega. Vega's eyes shifted to Finn, the only person who could have told Keiro about the marriage requests. 

"What marriage requests?" Attia asked as she looked between the feuding men and the King. 

"Vega here has asked permission to marry you. Three times, actually. Because this place is so damn backwards, he's not even man enough to ask you to dinner first." 

"Somehow, I doubt you ever did that, Your Grace," Vega replied, though the use of Keiro's official greeting sounded more like an insult than anything else. 

"I doubt he's the only one," Keiro added without even responding to Vega's comment. "I'm sure you've charmed tons of men with your sarcasm." 

"Like your false promises and all the whores?" Attia replied sharply, unintentionally proving his point about her sarcasm. 

"I never make promises I don't keep."

Claudia and Finn turned to stare at Keiro, both equally stunned by the comment he'd dared to make. Attia responded to him before either even had the chance. 

"Is that what you've been telling yourself in the last year?" she asked as she took hold of the back of his chair and spun it around, forcing him to look at her. She'd risen from her seat, though she didn't actually know why. The combined anger and adrenaline from the sudden argument was coursing through her simultaneously. "Because from what I remember, you also promised you'd never leave anybody behind Inside." 

"And I didn't!"

"Because you didn't have the key! Not because you ever gave a shit about anybody other than yourself!" 

Keiro had risen to his feet as well, and now that the lovers stood only inches from each other, the height difference between them was dramatic. Attia tilted her head back and held his gaze all the same. She was truly fearless. 

"Finn, let's count the number of times Keiro almost made off without our only chance of escaping, shall we?" she called out to Finn without breaking eye contact with Keiro. She saw his eyes flicker at her comment, but he responded in no other way. "And the time he almost let me die when Claudia's father poisoned me, let's not forget that one. Or when-"

"Enough," Keiro stopped her before she could continue. "You almost left me behind, too, remember that? When you were all caught up with those psycho bitches."

"No, that was the other way around, Keiro. I had to throw the key away to keep you from killing yourself!" 

"Listen to you yelling at me like you know what would've happened! Maybe you should marry Vega. He's probably masochistic." 

Attia had responded the comment instantaneously, her hand connecting with Keiro's cheek loudly. He hadn't been expecting a slap from her, and so he hadn't been able to stop it. As he stared down at her, his jaw tightened, she held his gaze, unashamed of her response. She couldn't explain why she had let such a comment affect her so emotionally. If it had come from anyone else, she might've handled it just fine, but there was something about Keiro insinuating a relationship between her and another man that made her boil. 

"I might just have to take you up on that offer, Vega," Keiro commented icily, his eyes still on Attia. "Court life isn't really as wonderful as it was supposed to be, was it?" 

"Why don't you go back to Incarceron? I hear it's all butterflies and waterfalls now," Attia replied, her own voice sounding cold. Though Attia and Keiro had been in many public disagreements, not one had ever been as charged as the one between them now. "Tell me, what do you miss the most if you hate it here so damn much, Keiro. The raiding? The murdering? Kidnapping? Stealing? The buying and trading of women and children?"

"Don't even start with that!" Keiro told her as he pushed back his chair hard enough to make it clatter to the ground. He stepped away from her, almost as though he didn't trust himself to be so close to her in the middle of a heated argument. "This place is a fucking prison, Finn!" he yelled as he turned away from Attia and focused on Finn, who was still standing. "There's rules and regulations for everything! The clothes are ridiculous! Everyone here is out of their damn minds! They have everything they could've ever wanted and they wasted it all on this shit!" 

Nobody replied to his comment. Surely, any number of the Councilmen had some response to defend the civilization that had been in place for centuries, but none of them were brave enough to speak now. The only ones daring enough to say anything in that moment agreed with Keiro and had nothing to say in response to it. 

"Take some gold and leave then," Finn finally said, his voice remaining remarkably calm considering the event that had just taken place. 

"Maybe I will," Keiro declared in response as he stormed passed Attia without even glancing at her. He left the Council meeting room, the door slamming shut behind him.


	17. Chapter 17

She hadn't actually believed Keiro would leave Court. After the meeting eventually ended, she had gone straight to her office and finished up the work she had lingering on her desk. She never went looking for Keiro, figuring he'd eventually come around if he wanted to. Though she had never wanted to think of herself as the type of woman who could so easily be affected by the behaviors of men, she consciously had to force herself not to read too much into the things Keiro had said and done during the Council meeting. When she returned to her room that evening, however, she was convinced Keiro had in fact left Court—and Finn and Claudia and her—behind indefinitely. 

On the vanity table a silver chained necklace, from which a small, silver 'A' pendent hung, was laid out. In the center of the necklace was only a small torn piece of paper sat, Keiro's messy handwriting scrawled across it. 'For you.' He hadn't even bothered to write his name, but she recognized the handwriting nonetheless. 

A number of emotions had gone through her seemingly all at once, and she could not differentiate between most of them. The most prominent emotion coursing through her was the one she could most clearly identify—anger. Angry at what, she didn't know. She was angry at Keiro, but she didn't know why. Wasn't he free to do what he pleased, just as she was? Did he owe her a goodbye in person? Would he have owed her a goodbye had they not been involved in an affair? Of course not, but he had agreed only a week prior that things had indeed changed between them. Well, he hadn't actually said aloud that things weren't the same anymore, but he hadn't argued the point either. Surely, someone as difficult and talented at arguing as Keiro would've argued if he could. 

She had half a mind to put the necklace around her neck, but after a second thought, she pulled open the drawer underneath the table top and quickly swept the necklace and note into the drawer before she slammed it shut again. Perhaps if she could not see it, she wouldn't think of it at all. 

When she strode into Finn's official office the next morning, she was painfully aware of all the eyes watching her. Ignoring them the best she could manage, she crossed the room and stopped in front of Finn's desk before she dropped a stack of papers on the table. Slowly, she forced her eyes to meet his. 

"What are these?" he asked curiously. She knew he was more annoyed than he let on. 

"They need your signature," she responded, attempting to keep a calm neutral voice. Despite the pretenses, it was clear to everyone in the room, and at least everyone in Council, that Keiro was gone and Attia was still present. Nobody knew the exact circumstances that surrounded the pair, but most were willing to bet Keiro had left without saying anything to her based on the most popular rumors making the rounds through Court. "Your monthly finances are in there, and a few other things that need your approval." 

"Are you ok?" Finn dared to asked as he kept her gaze as steady as he could manage. When Attia's eyes narrowed down at him, he cleared his throat and averted his eyes to the stack of papers she had brought him. With a pen in hand, he began to sign the forms and move them to the side. "I was told Keiro emptied his gold reserve and took a horse last night after the meeting," Finn commented as though he were making normal conversation. The tone he used sounded like there were no other inferred comments behind the one he made. 

"Really, Finn? I hadn't heard," Attia replied sharply, finally allowing her true emotions to show through. "Is that why it's so quiet here today? Or is it because everybody who knew about Keiro and I have been avoiding me? Which inadvertently leaves every whore who ever so much as looked at his bedroom free to come up to me and ask if it's true he left without notice." 

Finn cleared his throat again, understanding the situation Keiro had inadvertently put Attia in. It was no secret Attia was forced to interact with the other women Keiro had relations with before her, considering he'd always been rather talented at charming women, but now Attia was facing a completely different situation. Even Finn could see that in her face and hear it in her tone. 

"I can't tell what's worse, Finn. That Keiro is still as unreliable as he had been before, or that people can't leave without your permission without everybody talking about it like it's some kind of crime. Quite honestly, Keiro was right, Finn. This place isn't exactly what we had in mind when were we're almost dying several times in a row because you were having fits." Attia's tone had become increasingly sharp and condescending as she continued. It was unacceptable behavior for a subject to display towards one's King. While nobody else at Court would ever dare to speak to King Giles in the manner Attia was so willing, Attia had absolutely no problem telling former prisoner Finn about the ways she was disappointed in the so-called free world. 

When she appeared to be done, Finn nodded slowly before he cleared his throat. He held Attia's gaze, though most of the men in the room had expected Finn to grow irritated at the manner in which she treated him. Instead, Finn remained relatively calm and collected as Attia regained her composure. When it became clear Attia would say nothing, Finn took a breath while keeping his eyes focused on her. 

"That's a nice necklace, Attia," he finally commented, but clearly he had said the wrong thing without even noticing it. 

"You probably picked it out, didn't you?" she replied sharply, and had her vision not been so clouded with her emotions, she might've noticed the confusion taking shape across Finn's face. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," Finn replied as he cleared his throat. His eyes shifted nervously around the room until he noticed Claudia. When she met his gaze for only a moment, she slowly began to cross the room to come to his aid. 

"Of course you don't," Attia commented bitterly as he turned his eyes back to the stack of papers she had brought for him. She lifted her right hand to touch the silver "a" that hung from her neck, her fingertip touching and tracing the letter. Claudia reached Finn's desk and moved to stand behind him, her hand delicately resting on his shoulder. Once he finished signing off on the papers Attia had brought for him, he neatly stacked the pages and handed them back to her. 

"If you need anything, Attia," Finn told him gently, but Attia did not meet his gaze. Instead, she took the stack of pages from his outstretched hand and tucked them into her folder before she turned and strode from the room. Nobody noticed Vega slip from the room soon after her. 

"Attia," he called after the door to Finn's office. Attia did not turn back right away, but instead took a moment before she finally peered over her shoulder. 

"I don't want to talk to you," she said simply before she turned forward once again and started to walk away. She could hear his footsteps following her, but she hoped simply ignoring him would convince him not to pursue her. As she continued, she heard his footsteps continuing as well, though his were at a faster pace than her own. Eventually, she felt his fingers wrap around her small wrist, pulling her back to him. 

"You shouldn't let him get to you, Attia. You deserve better," Vega told her, hoping she would hear the sincerity in his voice or see it in his face. 

"Like you?" she questioned, her eyes staring directly into his. He cleared his throat as he averted his eyes briefly. Since Keiro's outbreak, he hadn't said anything about his marriage requests to the King, nor had Finn broached the subject. Instead, everyone around Attia had been rather silent since Keiro's departure. When it was clear Vega wasn't going to response, Attia pulled her arm free and continued down the hallway.


	18. Chapter 18

She sat behind her desk in her office as she sorted through all the papers spread across the desktop. In her official black leather folder, she kept careful records of Finn's and Claudia's finances. As of late, Attia had been far more productive than she ever had been in the past. When Finn had commented on her recent string of productivity, she had attributed it to her lack of distraction since Keiro had simply disappeared. Finn knew better than to say it out loud, but he was willing to bet her work itself was her distraction from thoughts of Keiro. Since she refused to talk about him, Finn and Claudia left the subject alone. 

"I need your signature," Attia said simply as she dropped a document on Finns desk before him. 

"What is it?" he asked as he scrawled his name across the bottom. He'd stopped reading what Attia handed him, since Attia was the last person who would ever try to fool him. 

"Permission to leave Court with paid leave and all my finances cared for by the crown," Attia answered and Finn stared at her harshly but still gave her the signed document. He hadn't been expecting that but was willing to authorize it anyway. 

"Fine," Finn agreed as he nodded and sighed. "When are you leaving?"

"Three days," she answered as she held his gaze. 

"Where are you going?" 

"Your summer home."

"I assume you already made all the arrangements without telling me," Finn replied, and Attia nodded. She was going to respond, but the door to Finn's office opened. When Attia peered back, she narrowed her eyes curiously at the tall blonde woman who was escorted into the room by one of Finn's highly trusted messengers. She recognized the woman as one of the beautiful courtiers Keiro had once courted. 

"The Lady of the Western Providences has requested an audience with you, Your Majesty," the messenger said as he looked to Finn. Attia turned back to Finn before she stepped to the side of the desk. She was too curious to leave. 

"My Lady," Finn looked up at the woman who had taken a step closer to the desk. "Is there something you needed?" 

"Your Majesty, I hoped you could tell me of the High Duke. He had promised me some things but now seems to have disappeared." 

Attia did her best not to roll her eyes at the gullible woman but the Lady had recognized Attia's annoyance. 

"What did he promise you?" Attia asked but the woman held her gaze on Finn. "A shiny ring? A new title? I bet he said he was going to marry you." The mocking tone of Attia's voice had forced the woman to shut her eyes as she endured the embarrassment. Rumors of Attia and Keiro had not extended past Finn's immediate council since so few moved in the same circles as the younger crowds of Court. The woman had no idea who Attia was in relation to Keiro. 

When Finn said nothing, the woman answered Attia's question. "He said he could help secure a high ranking husband for me." 

Attia laughed coldly as she stared at the woman's blonde curls. "You slept with a man to get a husband that wasn't him?"

"Attia, stop," Finn said as the woman's cheeks began to turn scarlet. She lowered her head, her eyes casted downward and eventually shut. As Finn looked at the woman again, he drew in a breath unsure of handle the situation. "Did he say who?" 

"No."

"Well, then uh… come back with a name or two and I'll see what I can do," Finn told her and she quickly retreated from the room and away from Attia's judgmental stare. Attia eventually left the office as well, and headed towards her private bed chambers. She had the intention to leave as quickly as possible, but was interrupted while she had started packing her things. 

"What?" she asked as she turned back to the doorway. 

"You can't leave," Finn said, his tone leaving no room for debate. Attia dropped what she was holding to face him completely, eyes narrowed. Finn knew better than anyone that Attia needed to get away. Her mind was clear, her decisions weren't made in the right mind, and yet he was demanding that she stay. 

"Why?" she replied strongly. 

"We're going to the North," Finn answered. "I need you to come with me. There's been a development." 

"What development?" Attia asked, but Finn left the question unanswered. 

"Keep packing. We leave tonight. I'll send a messenger." Finn turned and left the room before Attia could argue. Part of her wondered what had hardened him, but if the development in the North was the cause, Attia knew she owed it to her only remaining friend to accompany him. 

By the time the messenger had arrived, Attia had finished packing hours ago. She just sat on her bed waiting for Finn to send for her. She could have completed any remaining paperwork she had, but she opted to let her thoughts consume her. Sitting where she and Keiro had once shared intimate moments, she wondered where he had gone. Wondered if he was coming back. If he even thought of her at all, but that thought stung like salt in a wound. If he did think of her and missed her, wouldn't he had come back by now? And if he didn't think of her… Attia didn't want to consider that possibility. He'd left behind that necklace, and perhaps it was to ensure he didn't have anything on his person that reminded him of her. The idea that the small jewel-studded pendent hanging around her neck was Keiro shedding himself of her completely was almost enough to drive her off the edge. 

As though on cue to save her from herself, Finn's messenger and a few Royal Guards had knocked on her door. The guardsmen carried her two trunks while the messenger led her to the exit of the palace closest to the stables. When she got there, Finn and Claudia were standing near their royally designed carriage with one of Finn's page boys standing by to accommodate them, should they need anything. 

"Put Attia in the second carriage," Finn called out when he saw her arriving. "Clear the third for the Councilmen." 

"I wish you would tell me what's going on, Finn," Attia commented as she approached the royal couple. She noticed Claudia's face had drained of color at the comment, but Attia hadn't been paying much attention to anybody since Keiro's departure. 

"You didn't tell her?" Claudia asked as she looked up at Finn. 

"Tell me what?" Attia repeated in a strong tone of voice. Finn, obviously conflicted, peered down at Attia for a moment before he was distracted by the sounds of clanking chains and metal. 

"Are the locks on the Kingston and Scotts' carriages secure?" Finn called out as he turned away from the two women in front of him. One of the men bustling around the several carriages called back that it was, but his answer was drowned out by Attia's voice. 

"What are they doing here, Finn? Why are we taking them with us to the North? And what kind of development exactly do you need me for? You promised I could leave." 

"Technically you are leaving Court," Finn replied but Attia did not appreciate the sarcastic answer. 

"Tell her, Finn," Claudia said forcefully as she wrapped her fingers around his wrist. 

"Fine," Finn sighed as he focused his gaze on Attia. She could the nervousness in his eyes and face, but she was too emotionally unstable to even concern herself with the emotional stability of others. Not that she cared to admit Keiro had the power to do that to her. "Well, um… We received a messenger from King Damien this morning." 

"And?" Attia replied, not patient enough to listen to Finn's story. 

"He's claiming to have Keiro as a hostage. We're trading Kingston and Scotts when we get there." 

The words had flown in and out of Attia as Finn quickly walked away to address some problem or another. Attia could feel Claudia touching her shoulder, but she couldn't focus her thoughts enough to pay any attention to her. When Claudia felt Attia had come back from the shock, she spoke softly. "Do you want me to ride with you?" 

Attia faced Claudia completely before she shook her head gently. "No, I'll be fine," Attia said with as much conviction as she could manage. 

"One guard in each carriage with councilmen. Two with Attia, two with Claudia and I," Finn called out, his voice becoming louder as he tried to speak over the noise of preparing Court for movement on short notice. When Finn turned back to Claudia and Attia, he noticed Claudia rubbing Attia's shoulder gently, but when he met her gaze, Attia simply walked away from the pair towards her carriage where two guardsmen were already posted. 

"Why did you wait so long?" Claudia questioned as she and Finn made their way towards the front carriage. As they walked away, their voice became distant to Attia, not that she was paying much attention to anybody around her anyway. She'd absentmindedly put her hand in one of the guardsman's outstretched hand to help her into the carriage. They'd climbed in and sat across from her, but neither said anything. Within the next few minutes, the shouting outside had died down and the progression to the North had begun. 

When night had officially descended, they carried on to the North, Finn determined to get to Keiro and the opposing Kingdom as quickly as possible. Attia couldn't bring herself to understand Finn's persistence. Not only were they more at risk in the night, but hadn't Keiro been the one to leave them? To distract herself, she left her leg to rest her foot on the bench of the carriage. She wasn't wearing a skirt, deciding pants were much more comfortable considering they were traveling long distances. She felt around her ankle until she felt the handle of the knife she'd safely tucked away in case she ever needed it. Keiro had been the one to teach her the need for concealed weapons. 

"Do you need anything, Lady Attia?" one of the guardsmen asked, and Attia turned to peer at the two men. They were visibly tired, and obviously could not sleep until they reached their destination. 

"I'm fine," Attia answered as she lowered her foot and turned her gaze to the window, even though she could see nothing in the blackness of the night. 

"You seem troubled. Has something happened in the North?" 

"Yes," Attia answered simply but provided no explanation. When she turned back to the guards, she realized they were the two who were stationed outside her bedchamber most often. They knew first hand of her and Keiro's ongoing affair, but neither spoke of it or of Keiro's recent departure. At the thought of Keiro, probably the hundredth since they left Court, moisture had gathered in the corner of her eye. In the last week that Keiro had been missing, she had not once cried over him. She was always adamant that a man could not do that to her, and yet she could not help it anymore. That much was clear to the two men seated across from her. Men whom she hardly even knew, yet watched her with kindness that was uncommon in Court life. 

"So the rumors are true, then?" the same talkative guard had asked. 

"Which ones?" Attia asked, indulging his curiosity. She was sure all the rumors were true but asked anyway. 

"That the High Duke is being held for ransom." 

Attia only nodded softly before she stared out the window again, intent on holding herself together long enough to reach the Northern boundary. It seemed an ambitious goal, but if she could manage to escape with the trivial things of Finn, Keiro, and Claudia always holding them back, she was sure she could manage her new task. At least she hoped she could.


	19. Chapter 19

"Lady Attia," the guard called as he gently shook her shoulder to wake her. As she opened her eyes, she saw the sunlight streaming into the carriage, signaling the arrival of the next day. When she looked around, only one guard was in the carriage with her, the other standing outside ready to help her out. She rolled her shoulders before she stood and stepped out of the carriage, her guard following behind her. Judging from the flags hanging from the walls of the Manor a short distance away from the road they were stopped on, Attia surmised they were still in Finn's kingdom, but probably near the border. Turning to her left, she spotted Claudia and Finn speaking with the head of the Royal Guard. As Attia approached them, her two guards followed closely behind, mirroring the way Finn and Claudia's guards followed them. 

"Where are we?" Attia asked curiously as she approached them. Her light sleep had done wonders to her mood, but she knew she still wasn't back to her normal self. 

"That's Scotts' household," Claudia answered pointing to the Manor a short ways away. "We're unsure if it's safe to approach. No word on his wife yet." 

"I thought were going all the way to the North," Attia said and Finn nodded. 

"We are, after this. I don't want to cross the border only to be ambushed when we're trying to cross back." 

"What about Keiro?" Attia replied, her thoughts not lingering on Scotts' wife for very long. 

"King Damien gave us until tonight to begin negotiating, Attia. We need to make sure it's safe here first," Finn replied but Attia narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Wow, Councilmen, sounds like you've got it all planned out," Attia said sarcastically as she held Finn's gaze. He sighed before he shook his head and met her gaze again. 

"We cannot cross the border if it'll be unsafe to cross back, Atta. Keiro can handle himself for another few hours." Finn started to walk with the head of the Royal Guardsmen, moving passed Attia as he did so. 

"Not if he's a hostage, Finn," Attia argued as she followed beside him, her guards still shadowing her. 

"We have the King's word that he's unharmed."

"The King's word?" Attia repeated. "And you think that's true? He might already be dead, Finn!"

"Then we're just wasting our time out here!" Finn yelled back as he turned back to Attia, interrupting the guardsmen who were talking about the best approach to the Scotts Manor. "Why don't we just all head back, then, Attia? After all, he's the one who left us after he'd been threatening to do that for years! Seems to me that he got himself killed, didn't he?"

Tense silence formed between the two as they held each other's gaze, but something was very different. Finn suddenly felt guilty as he tried to hold Attia's stare, but he could not, knowing nothing was the same as it was Inside. Attia and Keiro were in some kind of relationship now, and it clouded Attia's vision. She went back and forth from hating and liking Keiro in a matter of minutes, but somehow she'd stayed put in the latter category since news of his capture. 

"I'm doing what I can, Attia. I need you to have faith, alright?" Finn asked as he stepped closer to her. "Don't run off and do anything stupid. I need you to stay with me for this." Attia only nodded slowly, opting to stay quiet. When Finn stepped back from her, he peered up at her two guards. "Stay with her at all times, and I want a second guard with Claudia also. Neither of them go anywhere without somebody." 

"Yes, Your Majesty," one of the guards mumbled with a nod, but Attia had turned away from Finn. Her two guards followed her back to the carriages, where Claudia was still standing. Eventually a second guard was added to her shadow as well. 

Attia sat and paced around the carriages for nearly the entire time Finn and his guards had disappeared in the direction of the Manor. She fidgeted almost constantly with the necklace she wore, suddenly glad she'd decided to bring it with her after some internal debate. Within the next two hours, Finn and the head of the Royal Guard had reappeared, a woman trailing behind them. Claudia and Attia both stood at the sight of Finn, neither sure of what to make of the woman he'd brought with him. 

"Who is that?" Claudia asked first as Finn approached her. Attia had wandered over as well. 

"Scotts' wife. We cleared the building and the surrounding homes. Two guards are escorting her and a few others back to Court while we continue." Claudia followed Finn to their carriage, and eventually Attia went back to hers as well. She hardly paid attention to the guards with her, but they could sense the tension that formed within as they drew closer to the border. The entire caravan had stopped for a number of minutes when Attia finally faced the guards seated across from her. 

"They're probably checking that we don't have extra military power," one of the guards said to her. She only nodded softly but didn't respond verbally. The carriage inched forward until the door was yanked open by a man dressed in red and black uniform. 

"Lady Attia?" he demanded in a harsh voice as he stared at her face, then let his eyes wander. 

"Yes," she answered strongly. The man only nodded shortly before he slammed the door and waved for it to continue. Attia shut her eyes tightly as she felt the carriage jerk forward. The road had suddenly become rough and uneven, the wheels hitting any number of rocks that had been present only moments ago. 

"They have no roads?" Attia asked as she looked at the guards, both of whom could only shrug. 

"They've been just as affected by Protocol as we have, but King Giles has been kind in rebuilding the infrastructure. I suppose the same cannot be said of King Damien to the North." 

Their travels continued in roughly the same pattern for another hour or so until the road suddenly evened out. It felt even smoother to Attia than the road had been before they crossed the border. When she peered outside the window, she noticed they'd reached the palace where all the roads were paved with concrete, rather than just the smoothed out dirt roads Finn had managed to provide. As the carriages pulled up to the front of the palace, servants dressed in the same color scheme as the soldiers at the border pulled open the carriage doors and provided steps for the passengers to use. 

Attia glanced to her left, finding Finn walking a good number of steps in front of Claudia. She had joined Attia, their combined four guards trailing only two steps behind them. Together, they formed the second row of people allowed to enter the royal palace where King Damien was already waiting, a beautiful woman on his arm. 

"So glad you could make it, King Giles," he spoke, his voice booming in the tall entry way of the palace. "You made good time."

"I have good men," Finn replied, keeping his face still, but Attia and Claudia could hear the uncertainty hidden in his voice. Finn wasn't very comfortable addressing another King without Claudia with him, but he had no choice at the moment. With Keiro's life in the balance, he did not want to flaunt Claudia as well. 

"Well, I assume you're famished," King Damien commented as he motioned to one of the hallways. "Shall we start breakfast?" 

"I'd rather just discuss our predicament," Finn replied, just as Kingston and Scotts were dragged into the palace, both shacked at the wrists and ankles. King Damien peered at the two for a moment, then quickly turned his gaze back to Finn. 

King Damien cleared his throat as he turned back to his own guards stationed behind him. When one approached him, the two leaned into one another, sharing a private conversation, before King Damien turned back to Finn. "We can speak privately in my chambers then. Your company will be lead to the dining hall."

Finn remained quiet for a moment as the head of the Royal Guard approached him to discuss the situation. Claudia and Attia knew they had come to some kind of decision when both nodded and Finn turned back to the other King. The head of the Royal Guard approached Claudia and Attia after leaving Finn. 

"What's happening, Charles?" Claudia asked immediately, keeping her voice low. Her eyes were still on the opposing King, though she was focused on the head of the Royal Guard. 

"I will accompany King Giles to King Damien's chambers. He's asked that you stay close to one another and keep your guards informed of anything that seems out of place. We're in their territory and they have the upper hand."

"Thank you," Attia said gently with a nod once Charles had pulled away from the two women. Finn didn't look back at the pair, but instead held King Damien's stare until Charles returned to his side. With a nod, Finn allowed the other King lead him down a separate hallway while everyone else was lead in another direction. 

Both women were quite hungry, and yet they could only pick at the food the servants had placed in front of them. Attia had not yet succeeded in banishing thoughts of Keiro, and Claudia had become tense since Finn had left with King Damien. She hoped he would send word that he was fine, but she knew he did not want to emphasis their ongoing relationship that has threatened war thus far. 

"You should eat, Ladies," one of Attia's guards commented as he poked his head between theirs. "To keep your strength up." 

"I'm not that hungry," Attia replied simply as the guard stood up straight again. 

"You might need your strength for something or another, you know," he added. Attia knew the truth to the comment, but it was only slightly inspiring to eat. Before the next course could be brought out, a messenger strode into the room, then paused at the doorway to speak to one of the Royal Guards standing watch at the meal. When he pointed across the room at Attia, the messenger continued through the room pausing at Attia to hand her a folded piece of paper. 

"King Giles has sent for you, Lady Attia," the messenger said in a monotone voice as Attia quickly unfolded the message. She quickly scanned the word before she handed it to Claudia, unsure of what else to do with it. After getting to her feet, she followed the messenger hurriedly out of the room, her two guards still trailing behind her as they were instructed to do. Attia had received the message and rushed out of the dining hall so quickly, she had hardly noticed Claudia's disappointment that Finn had sent for Attia before her. 

Attia followed the messenger down a series of hallways and up a set of stairs before he finally stopped in front of a pair of large double doors where two guards clad in black and red were stationed. They knocked softly on the door before they pulled each door open for her to pass through. Attia took slow calculated steps into the room, her eyes scanning the expensive décor. The furnishings of Finn's Court had nothing on the items in this palace, she knew, but she was willing to be he'd done next to nothing for his people judging from the road they'd taken to get here. 

When she spotted Finn, she locked her gaze on him as she crossed the room to stand beside him. "You sent for me," she commented without even meeting King Damien's stare. 

"I need you do something for me," Finn said as he looked down at her. 

She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering what he needed that he could ask for in front of the audience they had. Usually if it was something others could here, he simply said what it was without any lead up to it. 

"What?" she finally asked, unsure of what to think. 

"I need you to verify that it's Keiro, and not someone else." 

Attia understood Finn's fear that anybody could be impersonating Keiro, considering he'd almost been killed by someone who'd pretended to be him. Even with Protocol dead, Finn needed absolute certainty. Why he needed Attia to be the one to decide was beyond her. 

"Wouldn't you know just as well?" Attia asked. She refused to believe it was just because he knew about whatever had been between her and Keiro previously. In fact, it was for that reason Attia felt it should've been Finn to decide. 

"I trust your judgment before mine, Attia," he said softly in her ear, but she only shook her head. "Please, just do it." 

"Why?" she repeated. She refused to believe that Finn did not trust himself. People didn't survive on the Inside if they didn't trust their own snap judgments. But that was just one more thing that reminded her they weren't on the Inside anymore. 

"Just do this," Finn repeated as he turned away from Attia and looked at Damien. The two shared a look before Damien turned and called over another of his men. 

"Get the key keeper," he demanded. "We're going to the cells."


	20. Chapter 20

The walk to what King Damien referred to as "the cells" was cold and long. Attia walked beside Finn, using his hand to steady herself as they climbed down steep steps that were damp and the walls moldy. As they reached a long line of individual cells, Attia was sure they were more like dungeons than the nice cells Kingston and Scotts had been held in. The idea that Keiro was in one of these dungeons was sickening. 

"You're ok," Finn told her when he felt her fingers digging into his skin. She hadn't even realized she'd been clutching his arm until he spoke, but she did not release his arm anyway. As they continued, she could hear the clattering of metal, proving several people were locked away beneath the palace for one reason or another. Finally, after what seemed like ages, King Damien stopped and waited for his key keeper to unlock the large imposing steel door before them. Attia noticed that that door was more heavily locked and guarded than the others, and even looked bigger. 

"Go," Finn said as he put his hand on Attia's back in an attempt to guide her forward. Finn stayed standing on the backside of the door, and so when Attia stepped forward, only she saw what was inside. The darkness was broken up by only one stray ray of sunlight beaming through the tiny window at the top of the far wall. On the wall to the left, Attia saw chains dangling from where they were attached to the wall near the top. As she followed the chains, she saw they were connected to the wrists of the man curled up against the wall. 

"Unlock him," Attia said strongly as she turned to meet King Damien's gaze. Her eyes and face were locked in a harsh facial expression as she demanded the release of his political prisoner. She was aware that she had not yet even acknowledged him as a King, but carried herself all the same. After a moment, King Damien motioned for his key keeper to wander into the dark dungeon and release the clasps around the man's wrists. 

The prisoner had apparently been sleeping but was awakened by the man moving his arm to unlock the chains. As his head rolled to the side to peer out the open door, Attia knew he resembled Keiro but she couldn't tell just by looking at him. Slowly, she stepped into the cell after the key keeper and left, knowing full well she could be locked in there as well. She hoped Finn's presence was insurance that she wouldn't be held prisoner as well. 

After she crossed the threshold, she cleared her throat and neared the man slowly, bending down to sit in front of him, not really caring about her clothes or how dirty the floor was. She stared at the man for a moment before she reached into her pocket and produced a small cloth handkerchief. Reaching out, she started to wipe the dirt from the man's face, his sweat providing enough moisture to help remove a good amount of the dirt. As she gently wiped his face, he began to resemble Keiro even more, but something in his eyes was different. He had dark circles under his eyes, probably from lack of sleep. When he reached up to touch the back of her hand with his, she noticed his touch was different too. 

"You came," he said, almost as though he was accusing her. His voice was the same, and so Attia only smiled softly as she withdrew her hand from his face. He'd taken over wiping his own face as clear as he could before he wiped his fingers as well. Attia's eyes shifted down to his hands as he wiped them clean, her gaze focusing on the shiniest of all his nails. He wiped that nail clean but not any of the others, knowing she was watching for that marker to be sure it was him.

"Satisfied?" he asked as he held out his hand for her to take and inspect, but she only glanced at it before she met his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said when she said nothing in response. Part of him wished he'd said nothing because Attia had quickly looked away, her eyes screwed shut, but she tightened her grip on his left hand. 

"Are you satisfied?" King Damien's voice echoed in the stone walled dungeon, pulling Attia's gaze to him. 

"No, you can wait," Attia snapped back at him as she narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll be ready when I'm ready." 

"You haven't changed then?" Keiro questioned, pulling Attia's gaze back to him. 

"Where did you go?" she asked as she pushed her fingertips against the dry skin of his hand. He didn't really feel the same to her, but she could tell he'd been underfed and probably tortured judging from the open wounds on his upper body. 

"Nowhere in particular. Stayed in some Inn, then the next thing I know I'm chained up in the back of some cart." 

Silence followed as Attia decided what to make of his comment. He watched her carefully, then reached up to touch her cheek when he saw the first sign of a tear in her eye. She'd quickly turned away from his gaze, and away from his touch, not wanting anyone to see her breakdown. 

"You're wearing it," Keiro commented when Attia didn't turn back to him. "I didn't think you would after… everything." 

Attia drew in a slow breath. He'd said everything he needed to in order to prove his identity. He knew that, and she knew that, but she still could not bear his gaze. "It's him, Finn," Attia said after another long moment. She rose to her feet and turned to leave the cell without looking at him again. 

"You're sure?" Finn's voice carried into the cell where Keiro now sat alone. 

"You asked me, you know, Finn. Least you could do is trust my answer," Attia replied as she began to retrace her steps out of the cells beneath the palace. Keiro could hear her retreating footsteps as Finn's guards filed into his cell to help him to his feet. When Keiro was helped out of the cell, he met Finn's gaze, but could see Attia just before she turned the corner farther down the hallway. 

"At least she came," Finn said but Keiro rolled his eyes at Finn's attempt to make him feel better. 

"Well, I'm sure Claudia came too," Keiro replied bitterly as he balanced himself on his own feet, using Finn for support whenever he needed it. 

When Attia rejoined Finn's Court in one of the large entertaining halls, Claudia approached her quickly. "What happened?" she asked softly as the pair moved around the room, hoping not to pull too much attention to themselves. Attia's guards had eventually caught up and soon four men were trailing behind them. 

"I had to identify Keiro," Attia answered simply, opting out of providing more details. "I assume Finn already released Kingston and Scotts." 

"What are they doing now, then?"

"I don't know, Claudia," Attia replied, her tone clearly displaying her current mood. As Attia continued walking, Claudia paused and only her guards followed her out of the room. Attia had intended on remaining with Claudia in the entertaining hall, but she had quickly found her way to a small outdoor courtyard walled in by the palace. As she stopped on the pathway to look at the bushes and its flowers, she felt her guards step onto each side of her, one of them placing his hand on her upper back. Before she could turn to look at him, he leaned into her. 

"We've been followed," he told her softly before he leaned out of her personal space. Attia knew she shouldn't have, but she whipped around to look at the red and black adorned solider who'd followed her. 

"You're not allowed here," he told her strongly. As he approached the three, Attia watched his hand move to the handle of his sword, resting there in case he needed to pull it at any moment. "You'll need to go back to the main palace quarters." 

"I've got her, Jackson. Stand down," another man's voice carried through the courtyard. Attia didn't turn to look, instead keeping her eye on King Damien's man. He turned his head to look at whoever had called out, before he started to retreat slowly, never turning his back on Attia and her Royal Guards. After he'd gotten far enough away, Attia felt the guard remove his hand from her back, as he turned to look at who had sent the other man away. 

"Who are you?" Attia's guard demanded before she turned to look for herself. Her guards were distracted, both turned away from the man, when she stepped back into them, her hands grabbing each of their arms. 

"Attia," the man called, but Attia only shook her head, slowly at first but building up until she shook her head back and forth violently. 

"No," she said simply, her voice strong and unyielding. 

"I know it's you," the older man said as he continued walking toward her. Attia had half a mind to just run, but she could not make her legs move. Her feet were rooted where she stood, and all she was left to do was grasp at her guards, desperate that would understand. Of course, they couldn't know what was going on. They had no idea who the man was, and though he appeared rather unthreatening, Attia was unnerved enough around him for the two men to draw their weapons. The only tip Finn had given them when he'd picked them specifically for Attia was to trust her. If she was worried, they were ready to attack. 

"Don't get any closer or they'll kill you," Attia said simply. She knew her voice was shaking, she could hear it. Of all the time for him to come back into her life, it had to be right after Keiro had emotionally crippled her? She told herself that was the reason she couldn't think clearly. Why she couldn't run when that was all she could think of doing. But run where? Her guards would undoubtedly follow even if they had no idea what was wrong with her. But they were in another palace, another kingdom. Judging from the man's garb he was of some kind of importance to King Damien, and why would anybody believe her that he wanted to harm her. Finn would believe her, and Keiro if she let him close enough to her again. But no one else will. Did she need anyone else?

"I'm unarmed, Attia."

"I don't care. Stop walking here, now!" Attia yelled back at him. Run. Just run. One foot in front of the other. And yet she was frozen. Like a child Inside, unsure of where to go, where to turn… who to trust. 

"I want to talk to you."

"I don't have anything to say to you," Attia answered simply as she finally managed to lift one foot off of the ground. She'd released the arm of one of her guards who'd needed his hand to pull his weapon. As she walked briskly away, she tugged on the other's arm. 

"Attia, just wait," the called out as he managed to reach out for her arm. Instinctively, she'd called out. Yelled was more like it. Almost screamed. He'd only touched her arm and released her immediately when she'd yelled, and yet she screamed like his touch had burned. Within a minute as Attia's guards moved in around her, Finn and Keiro had come running, any number of Royal Guards behind them. King Damien's men had run as well to be present should any violence break out in the palace, but King Damien strolled leisurely into the courtyard. 

"Don't touch me. Don't come anywhere near me! If you even look at me-" 

"What's going on here, Cadwell?" King Damien asked, stopping Attia mid-threat. Finn had come to Attia's said, clearly concerned as he took hold of her wrists to check her arms. Attia hardly paid him any attention, letting him inspect her, as her eyes remained glued on whom the King had named Cadwell. He only cleared his throat as he shook his head, his eyes lingering on Attia in the same way her gaze lingered on him. Keiro had noticed the exchange as he neared her as well. Finn had moved away from Attia when he convinced she wasn't physically hurt, his eyes narrowed at Cadwell in confusion. Keiro neared Attia, half expecting her to push him away as he filled the space Finn had been in, but Attia had wrapped one hand around his wrist to pull him closer. 

"What happened?" he asked as he leaned into her ear. 

Attia remained silent as she stared at Cadwell, but she met Keiro's gaze, he face had softened under his blue eyes. "Nothing," she finally said as she started to turn away, pulling Keiro with her. Her guards, as well as one more who followed Keiro, shadowed the pair as they left the Courtyard Finn and King Damien had just been passing on their way towards the main hall.


	21. Chapter 21

"No, Finn!" Attia yelled, not caring even the slightest about who may overhear what. "I don't care. I want to leave tonight! You were the one who didn't let me leave Court to come here, and now you're holding me hostage!" 

"Hostage?" Finn repeated as he stared across the room at her. King Damien had managed to spare one of his several rooms for Finn to use as a makeshift office, but he, as well as Claudia and all of Council, knew it was probably bugged. "I'm holding you hostage? We came to get Keiro, you know. For some reason, I thought you wanted to come for that."

"If I wanted to come for that, you wouldn't have tricked me into coming," Attia responded. She wasn't paying attention to how her words were affecting Keiro, who stood on the other side of the room with Claudia. "I don't want to be here. I'm leaving tonight if you're coming with me or not."

"No, you can't leave by yourself, Attia," Finn said simply. "I can't spare the men, horses, or a carriage for you to leave by yourself. And I hardly tricked you into coming." 

"I came here by myself, Finn."

"Well, you're leaving with Keiro. There's no room for him to ride anywhere else." 

"If I have to stay here, I'm going back with Claudia, and you two can ride together." 

"I wish you would just tell me what happened," Finn groaned as he sat down behind the desk that was already in the room. He put his elbows on the desk and buried his face in his hands. Attia knew he was overwhelmed, first about his closest friend leaving, then the strain of Claudia and the implications of their future marriage. She knew she wasn't being fair to either Finn, for not telling him, and to Keiro, for not accepting his first apology and not allowing him to do it again. And she knew they had no way of understanding what was wrong since she hadn't told either of them. 

"I-" Attia started but couldn't force the words from her lips. "I just… I just can't Finn. We already got Keiro, can we just leave now? Please," Attia said as she stepped in front of the desk. He could hear the pleading in her voice, knowing it was something serious that was bothering her. 

"I want to sign a treaty while we're here, Attia, and that might take a while."

"A while? I don't have a while, Finn," she replied. "I won't last a while here. I'm going out of my mind if you haven't noticed."

"If you would just tell me what's wrong, I can help fix it, but you won't. I can't doing anything if I don't know what's wrong, Attia!" 

Attia groaned as she turned away from Finn. She was suddenly reminded they weren't alone, and that at least eight Royal Guards were standing around the edges of the room, two for each of them. Of course, it wasn't much different from being at Court, since one was rarely alone there either, but it felt different to her. Having guards follow her constantly was a different kind of feeling than knowing somebody could be eavesdropping on any given conversation. 

As she peered around the room, her eyes paused on Keiro, but she didn't let herself stare for too long. Even when she turned away, she could feel his stare following her. When she started to leave the room, her two assigned guards moved with her, but she could noise from the far side of the room as well. Wanting to believe Keiro wouldn't follow her, she continued out of the room, her guards trailing behind her. 

"Come on, you can't avoid me forever," Keiro yelled but Attia didn't turn back to him. Instead, she just ignored him and continued walking. She knew she should have gone back to him. Told him everything. Let him kiss her again, but she definitely would not be the one to kiss him first. But she was too stubborn for that, and she just continued, hoping he would just let her go knowing she wouldn't just disappear the way he had. 

Keiro stayed with Finn for the rest of the day, opting not to wander. He found he had little interest in wandering in the palace where he could have very well died. In fact, he agreed with Attia in wanting to leave as soon as possible. Of course Finn was still determined to remain until he could quench the threat of war over his relationship with Claudia. When they'd been told dinner was ready for only Finn and his closest companions, Keiro accompanied Finn with Claudia, but Attia had never arrived to dinner, her plate and seat remaining empty. 

As dinner continued, Finn and Claudia managed small talk with King Damien, but Keiro only eyed Cadwell, the man who Attia had some serious aversion to for some unknown reason. He tried to push thoughts of Attia away as much as he could, opting to eat as much as he could to distract himself. Until the plates had been put in front of him, he hadn't been aware of how little he'd been fed while being held captive. He noticed, of course, that he'd lost weight, not that he had much extra weight to lose in the first place. 

The final course of the elaborate dinner had been served, and Keiro had cleared his plate faster than anyone else, but had not yet joined the conversation. Finn didn't mind, knowing Keiro had behaved far more than Finn could have ever expected, considering the man seated on the side of the room had held him captive. But when Keiro had suddenly gotten up from his seat, Finn had called out for him. Of course, Keiro had simply ignored him as he strode out of the room, hardly paying attention to the guards who'd scrambled to keep up with him. 

"Would you do something, already!" Keiro demanded as he pushed open the door to the room Attia had been given by the King. All of their rooms were on the same floor so as to limit their exposure to the palace, Claudia had surmised earlier that day. Attia had been seated on her bed, staring out the window at nothing, but she turned to look at Keiro when he'd let himself into her room. It was like nothing had changed, she bitterly noted. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said simply, determined to hold herself together, no matter how Keiro pushed her. 

"I hate this," he told her strongly, his voice still louder than his average speaking tone. 

"You don't really have any room to be mad at me, Keiro," Attia responded as calmly as she could manage. "So if you don't mind, you can leave my room at any time. Next time you want to talk to me, feel free to knock." 

"Get mad at me, then!" Keiro yelled at her. He was vaguely away the door was wide open, their combined four guards watching the exchange. They had no other choice, and so Keiro was left with no other option than to argue with her in front of them. "Hit me! Scream! Do something. I'm tired of you just walking around me like nothing's wrong. I know you're pissed, Attia, so fucking act like it!" 

"What gives you the right to come into my room and demand I act in a way you think I should!" Attia yelled back at him as she stood up and took a dangerous step towards him. Even if she wasn't yelling at him about leaving, he was glad that she was at least mad about something. 

"I don't know what you want Attia, so forgive me if this is the only way to get your attention," he replied sharply. His eyes had narrowed at her as he stepped closer, but she had quickly stepped back from him. Her opposition to their proximity had upset him even if he tried not to let it bother him. 

"Go away, Keiro," she told him simply as she turned away from him, her eyes settling on the window again. 

"Are you just going to stay in here until we leave? You have to eat, you know."

"I'm not hungry." 

"No, you're just annoying and stubborn," he chided in a rather bitter tone that seemed to pull at her. 

"Where do you get off calling me names, Keiro?" she demanded as she faced him again. "I'm not the one who left! I'm not the one who refused to even acknowledge that there was something here! That wasn't me, that was you!" she accused as she stared at him with as cold a look as she could manage. "And this is your entirely fault!" 

"My fault they kidnapped me? That's rich, Attia," he replied sarcastically. He hadn't noticed they'd been getting closer to one another, but she was suddenly right in front of him, her stare directed up at him. He couldn't believe in the time he'd been gone, he'd forgotten how small she was in comparison to him. 

"You promised me that nothing would change, and that's a lie."

The words hung between them like a threat that he wasn't sure what to do with. Part of him wanted to admit it was true. Though he might not have ever admitted it in words, the necklace had proved it. Or at least he liked to think it did. Of course, the message behind the necklace could've easily been lost since he'd left it behind before he just left. 

Attia took a step away from him when he didn't say anything. She had turned her back to him as well as she started to walk to the other side of the room. "You can leave if you don't have anything to say," she said softly. In the silence, her words carried across the room. Part of her hoped he would stay but after a few more silent moments, she heard his retreating footsteps. When the door shut behind him, she turned back to find only her guards standing on the far wall, both able to see the pain clearly across her face. 

"Where did you go?" Finn asked when Keiro had walked into the office room where Finn and Claudia were discussing something with the selected councilmen who'd made the trip also. 

"Nowhere," Keiro answered as he took a seat near Claudia. 

"What'd she say, then?" Finn replied, able to interpret when Keiro had said. His oath-brother just narrowed his eyes at him in annoyance that Finn had poked at the only part of him that could affect him so deeply. 

"Nothing," Keiro answered.

"If you don't want to talk about it-"

"No, Finn. She says nothing," Keiro repeated as he stood and neared Finn. He leaned over the edge of Finn's desk to stare at Finn more dramatically. "As in I'm talking at her and she yells about something of no particular importance then says nothing until I leave." 

Finn held Keiro's gaze as though he understood the rift that had suddenly grown between his two closest friends. "Maybe you shouldn't go in screaming at her," Finn suggested as he turned to his right to look at one of the Councilmen. 

"What makes you think I did that?" Keiro replied, slightly offended at the assumption. 

"Well, did you?" Finn asked, as he looked at Keiro again. It was like nothing really had changed, since Finn still couldn't get work done whenever Keiro had some problem or another. 

"Whatever, Finn," Keiro mumbled as he rolled his eyes and went back to his seat. Finn had only laughed before he returned his attention to his work. 

"So if we provide aid to the some of the lower classes here, do you think he'd withdraw the threat of war?" Finn asked the councilmen closest to him. 

"No, he won't Finn," Keiro offered his opinion before anybody could. Finn glanced at Keiro on the other side of the room before Keiro finally walked towards him again. "You never even asked me what he wanted with me, by the way."

"I assumed it was to get back Kingston and Scotts," Finn replied. "Was that not a fair assumption?" 

"Well while they were beating me they asked about how your forming your army," Keiro said with a shrug as though his comments were of no serious consequence. "And when you were marching on his palace. And if you were willing to take prisoners." 

"What?" Finn asked, genuinely surprised at Keiro's admissions. It hadn’t even occurred to him to ask Keiro about his captivity, but Finn hadn't even known Keiro had been beaten in an attempt to get answers. 

"Well, don't worry, Attia didn't ask either. Glad to know you're both so concerned." 

"We came didn't we?" Finn replied sarcastically.

"She didn't seem like she wanted to come, Finn," Keiro replied, his voice still carrying an edge. 

"Well, if you're more concerned about Attia, then try having a conversation with her, Keiro," Finn suggested but Keiro didn't respond. 

"Well stop trying to have a treaty with this guy and let's go, then. I don't want to be here, she doesn't want to be here, and I'm pretty sure Claudia isn't too fond of this place either." 

"Could you just let me work this out for three minutes, Keiro?" Finn asked before he turned back to the councilmen. Keiro had rolled his eyes at Finn's attempt to become more king-like in the realm of politics. Without commenting any further, Keiro left the room, his personal guards ever present.


	22. Chapter 22

Keiro laid in the bed in the room he'd been assigned too. As he tossed he drew in a breath to help calm himself, but it did nothing. He was sure nothing could relax him in the place he'd been held for the last month against his will. Of course, distracting thoughts of Attia did nothing to help the problem. With a groan he sat up in his bed and leaned back against the headboard, feeling the wood press into his back. 

"Do you need anything, Your Grace?" the guard who stayed in the room with him asked, but Keiro only shook his head. Well, he wanted to see Attia, but he was certain the guards couldn't accommodate that request. As he laid down once more, Keiro shut his eyes and focused on his breathing. He tried not to think of Attia's face when she'd walked into the cell. Of all the people who could've walked in, he'd never expected her. 

Suddenly, Keiro sat up again and tossed the covers to the side, one of the blankets actually tumbling over the edge of the bed under his strength. The guard had quickly leapt to his feet at the sudden movement but relaxed as Keiro just moved around the room. After he'd pulled on his boots and buttoned up a shirt, Keiro walked out of the room, not even bothering to see if his guards followed him down the hallway. He walked past the first two doors, not paying any attention to the guards stationed outside the doors. When he reached Attia's door, the two guards eyed him curiously, but when he went to open the door, they did not stop him. 

At the sound of the door, Attia whipped around, her hand reaching for her sheet to cover herself, but Keiro hardly paid the gesture notice. He shut the door behind him, keeping his guards outside as well. 

"What are you doing?" Attia demanded as she reached for her robe and let the sheet drop to the ground. She wasn't completely undressed, and since Keiro was already rather familiar with her body, she saw no point in covering up completely. After she tied the robe around her body, she faced him, trying to appear as angry as possible. 

"Why don't you care?" Keiro asked suddenly, careful to keep his voice at a volume that could not be misconstrued as yelling. 

"What?" Attia replied, eyes narrowed in genuine confusion. 

"You never even asked about me," he accused and Attia rolled her eyes as she turned away from him. "I'm serious," he said as he reached out and grabbed her arm. He knew he shouldn't have when his fingers had touched her arm, but Attia made no attempt to free herself or even threaten him. She turned back to him, slowly taking her arm from his grasp. 

"Why should I care if you're the one who left, Keiro?" she said before she turned away again. She stepped towards her bed and sat down, but Keiro remained where he stood. 

"Then why did you wear that necklace?"

"Why did you buy it?"

"Why did you come here?"

"Why did you leave?" 

"Would you just answer my question!" Keiro said louder than he should have. With each subsequent question, their voices had risen until they were both yelling, both standing, both glaring at each other with narrowed eyes. 

"No! You didn't answer any of mine!" 

"Guys," Finn's voice stopped Keiro from responding, and pulled their attention to the doorway. They'd been so caught up with each other; they hadn't even heard Finn enter the room. "Maybe you should continue this tomorrow. When people aren't trying to sleep." 

"Yeah, Keiro. Go," Attia said simply as she turned away from him before she could see his face change. 

"No," Keiro replied strongly. He saw Attia tense, her shoulders squaring, but she didn't turn to face him. "You won't talk to me tomorrow either."

"Then leave!" 

"I'm not going anywhere! You owe me some answers!"

"I owe you?" Attia repeated as she faced him again. "What answers? Why did I come to save you from yourself when you left me? Is that the answer you want? Why don't I hate you, when all you do is give me reasons to hate you?" 

"No! Not that," Keiro replied, but before he could form a response, Attia had spoken again. 

"Then get out of my room, and stop bothering me!" 

"No!" 

"Why not," Attia yelled back, surprised her throat and voice had not given up yelling at him yet. 

"Because," Keiro started, but suddenly stopped himself. He was vaguely aware that if Finn had heard them yelling, everyone else on the floor probably could as well. 

"Why?" Attia repeated at a much softer tone. 

"I don't want to be alone," he admitted finally as he held her gaze. He swallowed hard, his stomach tightened. He knew that if she told him to leave one more time, he probably would comply. He really didn't want to be alone, though. He'd been alone in the cold stone cell, chained to the wall, and all he wanted was to see her again. Now that she was only a few steps away, he couldn't just spend the night alone without trying. 

"Ok," Attia said after what felt like an eternity of silence. She slowly started nodding as she turned to look at Finn. "Ok," she said again directed at Finn, who only nodded before he retreated from the room. He hated being in between the pair, but he had little other choice at the moment. 

When Finn left, he shut the door behind him, and the two were alone again but in silence. Keiro swallowed again as he watched Attia, wondering if she was as unsure of herself as he was of himself. When it was clear she would say nothing, he spoke hoping she was actually hear him this time around.

"I'm sorry." 

"You said that," she replied as she turned away from him. Part of him worried another blow up would occur, but when she pulled back the covers of her bed, he let out a breath he didn’t know he'd been holding. Instead of climbing into the bed though, she walked to her chest at the foot of her bed and began to poke through it until she found the sleep attire he was most accustomed to her wearing. When she looked up at him, he only stared back at her unsure of what she wanted. "Turn around."

"Oh come on," Keiro rolled his eyes, but complied anyway. It was ridiculous to him, but didn't want to spur another argument. Of course, Attia knew this, so she grinned as she dressed. When he heard the trunk shut, he turned back slowly to find her already starting to climb into bed. She was on the other side of the bed, the side she always slept on when they'd spent nights together at Court. The familiarity put a smile on his face before he climbed in beside her. 

"Are you ok?" Attia asked softly as she repositioned her head on the pillow. She felt Keiro's hand gently touch her side, and she could tell he was unsure of how to conduct himself. The fact that he paid so much attention to his actions in an attempt to keep her at ease comforted her. 

"With what?" he replied. His moved his fingers slowly against her body, amazed at the feel of the silk beneath his rough fingertips. In the small space where her top and bottom weren't connected, he gingerly touched her bare skin but did not linger for very long. 

"They tortured you, didn't they?" 

"Yes," he answered quickly. He cleared his throat as he repositioned himself, but remained on his side facing her back. "They're mostly healed now, though." 

"Mostly?" she repeated. Keiro froze when he felt her move as she rolled to face him. She moved closer to him so that they were still the same distance apart as before, but now facing one another. 

"Mostly," he agreed with a nod. 

"What about the others, then?" 

Keiro shrugged before he sat up and peeled his shirt off of his torso. Though Attia had seen her share of wounds and scars, she felt unprepared to see the gashes across his chest. The lowest of the wounds was nearly healed, and probably one of the early wounds he sustained, but the two above it were still red and open. She assumed they bled if he strained them. 

"Why didn't you have them bandaged?" she asked as she softly touched the skin around the topmost wound. 

"I don't really trust his healers, Attia," Keiro responded, glad to see a smile pull on the corners of her lips even though she didn't meet his stare. 

"I can bandage them in the morning then," she said before she looked up at him. He nodded in agreement as he moved his hand to touch her waist. She was so close to him that all it took were slight movements to completely press her against him, but he refrained as much as he could. He knew she was right about him leaving, even if he had yet to admit it. In fact he hadn't even admitted that whatever was between them was far more complex than it had started out as. He knew he owed her that much if nothing else. 

"I'm sorry I lied," he finally said. He felt like he'd been apologizing a lot lately, but he was determined to make this apology the last for quite some time. Attia narrowed her eyes at him as she turned her head, obviously confused at what he was saying, but he wasn't going to explain until she said something. 

"Which lie?" she finally asked when she could not think of what he was talking about. 

Keiro rolled his eyes but a smile had formed anyway. A genuine smile that mirrored on Attia's lips when she saw it. "About nothing changing," he finally said. A laugh had escaped her lips before she could stop it. When she moved closer to him still, his arms had wrapped around her before he even noticed it. It had been a reflex, and he had stilled when he had done it, but when she didn't respond, he relaxed against her again. She rested her head on the space between his shoulder and chest, her hand rested next to her head. When Keiro tightened his grip on her, she turned her head to press her lips against his skin, feeling him tense at the sensation. When she did it again, but in another spot millimeters away, he relaxed except the arm that held her against him. 

After the third kiss on his skin, she became aware that they had not shared a kiss since he'd been released. In fact, this was the most contact they had at all. When she peered up at him, she saw the vulnerability in his face and eyes, but hoped her smile would comfort him. "I forgive you," she said softly before she laid her head against him again. She felt his hand reach up to stroke her hair before he turned his head to press his chapped lips against her forehead. 

"Will you tell me about that guy?" Keiro finally asked. He didn't really know what to expect, and if Attia had declined, he was ready to just let it go. She remained silent though. She drew in a deep breath before she looked up at him again. He met her gaze, his eyes meeting hers before he looked at her lips for the briefest of moments. Though he did want to know about the outburst that had occurred for seemingly no reason, he could not help but be distracted by her. "Cadwell, I think," Keiro added and Attia nodded softly at the name. "What happened?" 

Attia swallowed as she looked away from Keiro but pressed herself against him more entirely. The feeling was definitely distracting, but he focused on his breathing. Of course, Attia could tell his heart rate had increased, but she paid it no attention as she remained laying beside him. "He's from Inside," Attia finally managed to say. She didn't know any other way of going about it. Well, she did, but she really didn't want to just say everything. She could, and she wanted to believe she could trust Keiro. She wanted to, and yet the idea that he could just leave without so much a goodbye haunted her. 

"You know him, then," Keiro surmised and Attia nodded softly. "From before Finn and me." 

"Yes," she said, but nothing else. When he was certain she would say nothing more, he settled into his position, his arm never loosening around her waist. Keiro had fallen asleep rather quickly, but Attia assumed he hadn't slept very well while being held captive. She, on the other hand, could not fall asleep as easily as he. She attempted to fall asleep and was actually quite comfortable with him, not that she cared to admit she was more comfortable with him than without. After he'd been asleep for some time, she slowly slipped out of his grasp and out of bed. As she walked towards the window, she peered up at the moon, but wasn't really looking. Instead her thoughts consumed her. 

It was ironic really. She'd spent the last two days trying not to think of Keiro, but now she'd give anything for her thoughts to be of him instead of Cadwell. She wondered when he'd picked up that name. He certainly hadn't gone by that Inside. She wondered how he had gotten all the way to the Northern Kingdom after leaving Incarceron, considering the Portal opened within Finn's kingdom. She wondered so many other things about him, only one of which included how he had survived. She thought he'd died so many years ago. She wasn't even sure how many years but she had thought him dead. 

When Keiro's hands touched her waist, she'd been taken by surprise. She hadn't even heard him get out of bed or move to stand behind her. "Didn't mean to scare you," he said softly as he wrapped his arms completely around her waist, his head chin resting on the top of her head. 

"I was just thinking," she told him in a whisper. In the quiet, they had no trouble hearing one another. 

"What's wrong?" 

Attia didn't answer the question. She couldn't say nothing bothered her, because he would know it's a lie. Instead, she just turned in his arms to face him, her arms reaching up to his neck. She enjoyed being able to fall back into their somewhat odd relationship with little obstacles. Not letting the moment pass, Keiro bent down to capture her lips with his.


	23. Chapter 23

Attia had awoken first in the morning. Keiro's arm was barely holding onto her waist, but at the slightest shift, his arm fell back to the mattress. As she rolled out of the bed, she had for just a moment thought they were at Court. Like nothing had ever changed. Like Keiro hadn't left. Like Cadwell hadn't driven her closer to insanity than Incarceron had. 

Doing her best to stay quiet, she moved around the room as she got ready for the day. She'd decided on pants for the rest of their stay in the Northern Kingdom on the off chance that she might need the physical freedom skirts would otherwise hinder. After she had gotten mostly dressed, she peered over at Keiro, still dead asleep in her bed. Part of her had wanted to return to the depths of their physical relationship but was perfectly happy just to lay with him she knew. 

After retrieving her brush from her trunk, she detangled her hair and roughly parted her hair without the aid of a mirror. The rooms King Damien had provided them with were furnished with only beds, except Finn's extra room that had a desk. When Attia replaced the brush to her chest, the heavy top had slipped from her fingers and slammed shut. 

Keiro was pulled from his deep sleep instantaneously as he reached up to shield himself from an imaginary attack. With a few pants, he dropped back to the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He didn't turn his head until he felt Attia's weight shift the mattress slight. "I guess we're both kind of jumpy," she said softly as she peered down at him with a slight smile that was meant to be reassuring. 

"You never said what has you so jumpy," he replied as he extended his arm to the side. It was a silent invitation to lay beside him. She did so without saying anything. "You can tell me, you know," he told her as he stared up at the ceiling, content with just his arm around her body. "It's not like you don't know any of my secrets."

"What secrets?" she replied as she sat up just to narrow her eyes at him. "I know you have secrets, but don't pretend you've made me privy to them." 

"What are you talking about?" he replied as he pushed himself up to his elbows. "You know some." 

"Like what?" she responded, unable to stop the laugh and smile that usually accompanied his insanity recently. 

"You know, like…" Keiro started but stopped. When he could think of nothing to say, he dropped back down to the bed and tucked his fingers behind his head. "Like my third drawer in my dresser." 

"Oh god," Attia rolled her eyes as she got out of bed despite his resistance. She pushed her arms through a blouse and started to button from the bottom before she turned back to him. "You're not making your case very well." 

"I realize that," he said sarcastically, but his light hearted tone covered what he meant as a biting remark. "Why are you getting ready already?" he asked as he rolled onto his side. 

"Because I'm determined to convince Finn to let me leave here," she told him as she walked over to her chest. She opened the top and dug through the contents for a moment before she finally pulled out clean white bandages. "Lay back," she told him as she walked around to his side of the bed. 

"You travel with bandages?" he questioned as he accommodated her requested. He readjusted the pillow behind his head before he stilled and let her touch his chest around his two open wounds that had bled out during the night. 

"You never know when you'll need them," she responded as she started to unroll the bandages to the length she needed for the middle wound. She worked as quickly as she could without rushing too much. He knew her expertise wasn't wound care, so as her fingers probed the intact skin around the wounds, he tried to remain as still as possible. He knew she could feel his muscles tensing at her touch. When the first bandage was completely applied, he let out a long breath before he met her gaze. 

"Sorry if I hurt you." 

"You didn't," he assured her. He caught the smile as she turned away from him to look at the next cut of the bandage for his other wound. The small process occurred, but Attia met his gaze once or twice as she tried to apply the bandage straight. 

"Why did you buy it?" 

"I don't know." He really didn't know why he'd bought the necklace. When he'd gone into the jeweler's office, only William was available to take his order. When he described what he wanted, he knew the apprentice had some vague idea who it was for. Why he'd endured that just to get the necklace, he'd never really thought about. 

"You have to have a reason."

"Do I?" he questioned. Attia didn't respond, but let out a breath as she shook her head slightly. Part of him was aware it wasn't out of agreement with his comment but out of sheer unwillingness to argue or entertain his crazy opinions. "Are you upset?" he asked when she withdrew her nimble fingers from his wounds. He sat up slowly, so as not to accidently rip off his newly applied bandages. 

"About what?" she replied as she turned away to put the bandages away in her chest. She'd gotten fairly talented at avoiding his gaze. Almost as talented as he was at avoiding conversations he didn't want to have. 

"I don't know," he replied as he stood up and collected his button up shirt from the floor. He'd put his arms through the sleeves but left the shirt open as he looked across the room at her. In the silence, she looked back at him, watching as he ran his hand through his hair. The blonde locks stayed back for roughly three seconds before falling back into his eyes once more. "Anything? Me? That guy you want to murder?" 

Attia didn't answer any of his questions as she turned away from him to finish buttoning the top two buttons of her blouse. She found a stray piece of ribbon in her trunk to tie her hair back at her neck. When she did turn back to Keiro, his face and eyes had gone cold, prompting her to look away again. In silence, he followed her out of the bedroom where they were met with the stares of their combined four guards. Attia only groaned as she turned to head down the hallway in the direction of Finn's rooms. 

When they walked into the makeshift office, Finn as well as Claudia peered up at them. Finn wondered what terms they were on, Claudia only slightly interested in them. "What else did they ask you after they brought you here?" Finn asked immediately, leaving no room for small talk. Keiro cleared his throat as he ran his hand through his hair again. Attia didn't look at him as she crossed the room to stand near the window. She didn't meet anyone's gaze as she stared into the courtyard below. 

"Just about your army," Keiro answered after forcing himself to focus on Finn. Attia was somewhat distracting in the background, not that she even noticed. "What weapons you had. What numbers you had. What your marching strategy was." 

"I don't think he can afford to go to war, Finn," Attia commented from behind him. Keiro had looked up at her, and Finn had turned to look as well. "I mean you saw those roads we were on. I doubt the man could get enough people to form half an army." 

"You're suggesting to treat the threat of war as a joke?" one of the councilmen paraphrased, his tone obviously conveying his disapproval. 

"No," Attia answered simply as she turned to face him. "Take it seriously. Let's go to war and get done with this now." 

"Are you mad? We couldn't support a war!" 

"We wouldn't even get to the war part before he came running over with some treaty," Attia replied before she stared out the window again. Her face changed, her eyes narrowing, her lips tightening, but nobody could see what she could. 

"You would risk all those lives on the off chance that he's bluffing? What if he isn't?" 

"Then tough shit." Attia's tone was harsh as she looked back into the room. "It's not the end of the world. You think I care about all these little peasants and their petty problems? And you and your petty problems about which expensive coat should I wear today? And how many pounds of food can we all eat in one sitting?"

"So we should go to war because you were deprived?" 

"Stop," Finn groaned as he turned to look at the councilmen. He was inclined to side with Attia. War on the Outside had nothing on daily life they'd endured on the Inside. He couldn't really blame her for not seeing the bigger picture the way he'd been coached to by Claudia and the politicians he was in contact with daily. 

"I guarantee it's a bluff, Finn," Attia said, confident of herself. 

"How can you guarantee that?" Finn replied. He wanted to believe her but needed to proof.

"Because of Cadwell," Keiro commented and Attia's gaze shot to him. She wasn't mad though. Shocked. Bewildered that he'd said that, or that he'd put together the thoughts she hadn't said aloud or at least not in order. 

"What?" Finn asked as he looked back at Keiro. 

"Because he's from-"

"Stop," Attia demanded. Keiro swallowed before he met her gaze. 

"He should know."

"I still don't care, Keiro," she told him. He didn't understand what had put her on the defense. She hadn't even told him anything of importance. 

"By King Damien doesn't actually believe all that shit if Cadwell is-"

"Stop," Attia repeated, but her voice had changed. It wasn't strong and demanding, but instead broken and desperate. Silence followed as the two only stared at each other, Keiro trying to understand why Attia hadn't told Finn what she'd confided in him. Confided. Revealed. She'd already started to tell him her secrets when she could think of none he'd told her. And he'd already threatened to reveal it before he'd even had it for a full day. 

"Ok," he finally agreed with a nod. He knew he should tell Finn. He knew Finn had a right to know that if King Damien had someone from the Inside in his household, Cadwell, then he didn't actually mean all that he'd threatened about Claudia becoming queen. And if he didn't know, that was a very useful piece of information. Finn could use it against King Damien or Cadwell to get information. But Keiro nodded again when Attia said nothing further. 

Like they were privy to an argument that should've been private, everyone else in the room remained deathly silent. When Attia peered around the room, everyone by Finn made it a point to avoid her gaze as though not looking proved they had not heard. But everyone had heard, and everyone knew there was something that needed to be said. Something Attia would not offer up herself. Before she could be pressed to do so again, she walked around Finn's desk, heading towards the door, but Keiro had reached out to take hold of her elbow as she passed him. 

"Wait," he told her, half expecting her to simply shake her arm out of his grasp and continue on. Surprising him, she face him after she took her arm back for herself. "Tell me something," he pleaded, no longer concerned with their audience. "Anything." He couldn't explain his desperate need to know something about her. He was aware that he should offer something of himself up but she didn't ask questions the way he did. And the questions she did ask, he didn't know how to answer. 

"Why?" she replied. She knew he didn't have an answer, and so she didn't wait to hear what would not be said. She just turned away from him and left the room, the door shutting dramatically behind her. 

"I don't suppose you will tell me what it is you think I should know," Finn commented after a moment of silence. Keiro met his gaze and let out a breath. 

"I don't know, Finn," Keiro answered truthfully. Who did he owe his loyalty to most? Finn, his oath-brother, whom he'd saved and been saved by many times. Or Attia. She had some kind of meaning to him, he was sure but he couldn't put it in words, or he didn't want to. Perhaps that was why he never seemed to have the answers she wanted.


	24. Chapter 24

King Damien had requested another meeting, and Finn had complied, opting to bring Keiro with him. Though Finn didn't want to admit it to himself, he'd lost his ability to sense bluffs and see things from the perspective of an Escapee. Keiro and Attia, it seemed, still retained that ability, which was probably why they still hadn't really adapted to the different lifestyle of Court and life on the Outside in general. Of course, now that they were more connected to one another they had even less reason to adapt. 

After scoping the room, Finn's Royal guards left the room at the same time as King Damien's. Cadwell was the other king's choice in company, but King Damien hardly noticed the effect Cadwell had on his royal guests. Finn had looked at Keiro, hoping Keiro would at any point in time offer up that piece of information Attia had revealed. How Attia had known anything about the inner workings of the Northern Kingdom baffled Finn, and yet at the same time he wasn't really surprised. It seemed perfectly in character for either Keiro or Attia to be privy to information others around them couldn't see or grasp entirely.

When Keiro had looked away from him, Finn turned to King Damien, knowing Keiro had aligned himself with Attia instead of him. Part of him was angry at the decision, and yet he could not entirely blame Keiro. He wanted to blame him, wanted to yell that if he had any information that could advance their political position he owed it to his oath-brother to offer it up. But in the back of his mind he wondered if he would choose Keiro over Claudia if the time ever came. The not-so-small part of him that would choose Claudia did not press Keiro for any information. 

"What do you want?" Finn asked bluntly, having long gotten over all the formalities with speaking to others of high positions equal to his own. King Damien let out a chuckle as he turned back to face Finn and Keiro. But Keiro wasn't watching him anymore. His gaze was on Cadwell in the far corner. 

At the same time, Attia had slipped away from the rest of Finn's traveling Court. With only her guards in tow, she made her way through the grounds of King Damien's royal palace. They knew she was doing something she shouldn't, but neither stopped her and followed her willingly. There were relatively few Northern soldiers on the grounds, and the few that were patrolling were easy to circumvent. 

"Where are you going?" one of her guards finally asked after they'd ducked behind a wall of bushes to avoid being seen. 

"The stables," Attia answered simply. There was no reason not to tell them, especially if they were to follow her back to Finn's Court. She'd told Finn she was tired of being here, and if he didn't listen, she was leaving all on her own. Keiro could sit in that dreadful carriage for the duration of the way back on his own as far as she was concerned. 

"Why?" 

"I'm leaving," she told them as they started walking towards the building in front of them. 

"You can't just up and leave, Lady Attia," one of them protested, but did not make any attempts to stop her. 

"I am, you two can either come or stay. But if you go back and tell Finn you let me leave all by myself, I can't expect him to be happy about it," she commented. Both knew she was right. She, Keiro, and Claudia were of extreme importance to the King, as they were the only three assigned constant protection by two guards. Letting her travel that distance alone would not only ensure the loss of their occupations but probably worse consequences as well. 

"Shouldn't you at least plan this out?"

"It is planned," she replied as they reached the building and slipped inside through one of the open doors. "We're going to get on three horses and leave. What other planning is there?" 

"This isn't Incarceron, Lady Attia," one of the men said strongly as he took hold on her arm and spun her around to face him. "You can't just go out running away without some kind of plan."

"No this isn’t," she agreed as she took her arm back. "Everything is rather tame here in comparison," she commented as she walked to the nearest horse and inspected it. When it didn't pass her expectations, she moved on to the next one. In the back of her mind, she was reminded of the horse she and Keiro had ridden, it's legs and body almost completely mechanical. It had run almost the distance they were going to travel without stopping. 

"You can't mean that."

"Spoken like someone who was never there," she replied sharply as she picked a horse. She climbed up to the saddle easily and took hold of the reigns firmly. "Hand me a sword."

"Have you ever ridden a horse before?" the guard questioned as he stared up at her. Truly, he had never been assigned to someone quite as difficult as she. 

"Technically, yes," she answered, her hand still outstretched for a weapon. The other guard, who was consistently quieter than his partner, just gave her a spare weapon before he climbed a horse as well. 

"You really want to argue with her longer?" he questioned as he peered down at the other. Attia only grinned as her guards picked horses and followed her to the main exit of the stable. 

Keiro had stopped listening to the chatter of Finn and King Damien, finding himself rather bored by their antics. Finn was still stuck on the idea of a treaty but King Damien was holding ground on his empty threat of war. It seemed on Keiro and Attia could see it for what it was, and Finn was inclined to agree with all his mindless advisors and councilmen, who granted had more experience in the realm of politics. But they knew nothing about war tactics it seemed. 

He had risen from his seat, pulling Finn's attention, but before he could say anything, loud blaring alarms had gone off. King Damien had rushed to the door, which had opened a few moments later, his men running in. 

"They've sent a messenger back!" 

"What?" Finn questioned as he looked to the doorway. His Royal Guards had rushed into the room as well, standing guard around Finn and Keiro. 

"Three of theirs left on horses a few minutes ago," the red and black messenger said, his eyes on Finn and Keiro. King Damien ignored the two as he stormed out of the room and into the next across the hall. Finn and Keiro had followed instinctively, unsure of what exactly was going on. Peering out of the large window on the other side of the palace, they saw the three people on horses leading a large pack towards the gate of the palace. Two of the three were wearing black and silver, the color of Finn's royal guards. The center of the three was wearing a dark chocolate brown coat and matching trousers. 

"That's Attia," Keiro said softly so only Finn could hear him. He only nodded, having come to the same conclusion. 

"This is an act of war!" King Damien declared as he turned to Finn and Keiro. Shocked, they turned to the King was only slightly larger than Finn, and of the same build and height of Keiro. 

"No," Finn replied strongly as he stepped forward against the advice of his Royal Guards. "She's just going back."

"To get your army, I'm sure," the impulsive king replied as he turned back. "Pull ranks! Every available man, now!"

"Stop her now," Finn told Charles, Head of the Royal Guard. "Any time you want to tell me, would be great, Keiro," he commented bitterly as he met Keiro's gaze. Keiro understood the dire need for Finn to know, and yet he said nothing. War wouldn't be so bad anyway, he figured. Finn yelled at Keiro's silence as he hurried out of the room, his guards following him. Only one was left with Keiro since one had been sent to stop Attia from leaving the palace grounds. 

Pure chaos had followed as King Damien's men were order to remove everyone from Finn's court from the palace. Keiro had managed to keep his calm as he searched through the crowd for either Claudia or Finn. His guard had done his best at keeping up with him, but by the time Keiro had located Finn, his guard was gone. 

"Tell me now, Keiro," Finn demanded as soon as Keiro approached him. "If there's any chance we can stop this, you need to tell me."

"No, go to war!" Keiro replied strongly, obviously irritating Finn. 

"We don't have an army, if you've forgotten, Keiro." 

"We don't need one to pretend to go to war, Finn." Keiro's voice was sharp and acidic. Finn groaned as he turned away from Keiro, feeling the tension between them beginning to snap. They'd been pushed completely off the palace grounds by then, and in the distance, Finn could see the formations of King Damien's army. 

"We need to retreat, Finn," Claudia spoke from the other side of him, her eyes meeting Keiro's for a moment. "Before he actually attacks." 

"No, we can stop this now." 

Claudia and Keiro had protested at the same time, yet both had different answers to the problem. Arguing ensued as the two glared at each other, both sure of their correctness. Finn started to walk away from the two, but when yells rose above the general noise of the crowd, he paused to find which direction it was coming from. 

"Let me go!" Attia's voice had demanded, her words becoming cleared as a pair of Royal Guards dragged her towards Finn, Claudia, and Keiro. 

"You started a war, Attia," Finn accused immediately as the Royal Guards released her. 

"I didn't do anything, Finn."

"He thought you were a messenger to get the army we don't have!" 

"It's not my fault he's stupid," she replied simply, obviously still defensive. 

"Tell me now, what it is I can use as a bargaining tool." Finn's voice was strong and unyielding. Attia knew he wasn't just asking anymore. Now he was demanding, and from the looks of the red and black standing army forming in the background, Attia understood the position Finn was in. And yet, she could not force the words out. For one, it could make them real and Attia was still clinging to the off chance that nothing in her past was real. That it was all made up. Every bit of it except for Finn and Keiro. And if she was going insane, she definitely would commit herself to convincing herself Incarceron wasn't real. 

When Attia remained quiet, Finn turned to Keiro. His stare had hardened, and Keiro recognized what Attia had. "One of you, right now!" 

"He doesn't even know everything, Finn," Attia finally said. Keiro had looked to her, knowing that she hadn't said everything but wondered of what importance that had. What little Keiro did know was enough for Finn to use, he was sure. 

"I don't care," Finn replied. He was reaching a breaking point, and yet neither Attia nor Keiro would tell him what he wanted. 

"Finn," Claudia called, her voice hinting that he should pay attention to what she looking at. Finn mostly ignored her as he continued the stare down with Keiro and Attia. "Finn, someone's coming," Claudia said as she turned back. She put her hand on his arm and tugged for him to look at the red and black army facing him down. It hadn't actually gotten much bigger in the last couple minutes, he noticed. But in the empty space between him and that army, a single man was walking towards him, a rolled up piece of paper in his clutches. 

"Who is that?" Finn asked as he turned to Charles, who hadn't left his side in all the time they'd been in the North. 

"I don't know," he answered honestly, squinting his eyes to make out the figure that was increasingly approaching. 

"It's Cadwell," Keiro said, his tone different than his normal voice. He turned to look at Attia, whose eyes had gotten slightly wider. She nudged Finn as she made space for her to look at the figure still coming towards them. The closer he got, the more detail she could see on his aging face. She wanted to say it wasn't Cadwell. She'd rather go to war with no army than for Cadwell to get any closer to them, and yet that wasn't an apparent option at the moment. 

"Now would be ideal, Attia," Finn said but Attia remained silent. She wasn't nearly as angry at Finn was she was previously. The closer Cadwell got in fact, the less angry she was at everybody except him. 

"I have a message," Cadwell's voice carried over the empty space once he got close enough to speak. "From King Damien. He's agreed not to attack if you leave now. He's preparing your carriages and horses now and they'll be here in a few minutes."

For the longest moment nobody said anything simply because Cadwell had only watched Attia as he spoke, as though the King's message was for her only. "Why?" Finn finally asked and Cadwell turned to meet his gaze. "What made him change his mind?" 

"Just leave if you want to live," Cadwell said, his gaze shifting back to Attia. "He doesn't have the power to fight you, even if he likes to think he does. If you leave now, he'll send for a treaty in a month's time." 

"He said that or you're just guessing?" Keiro replied, one eyebrow higher than the other. 

"I know him," Cadwell replied vaguely. Attia scoffed as she turned away from him. She'd only taken a few steps away from Cadwell when he spoke again. "Please, Attia, leave." 

"Don't tell me what to do," she snapped as she turned back to him, eyes narrowed. 

"If he attacks now, you'll all die," Cadwell answered and she scoffed as she stepped towards him. In one fluid movement, she pulled her sword from her waist and held the pointed tip at him. 

"It's odd you thought I was alive at all," she commented. She could see his heart rate quickening as his chest fell at an increased paced. He eyed the silver blade cautiously before he met her stare again. 

"I want you to live whether you like that or not." 

"I don't like anything about you to say the least." 

"Then just leave now." 

"Then go back," Attia replied sharply. She moved the sword slightly, and Cadwell had tensed at the end. 

"I can't," he finally said after a moment's notice. "You have to take me with you."

Attia half laughed, half scoffed as she dropped the sword to her side. Cadwell visibly relaxed as though he knew exactly what Attia was capable of with a weapon in hand. "You're not coming with us. You don't even have the slightest chance of coming back with us. I wouldn't tie you to my horse and make you ran back." 

Finn, Claudia, and Keiro only watched the exchange, each bewildered beyond imagine. It was curious since the three weren't entirely surprised and yet completely taken off guard at Attia's comments all at the same time. Not one, even Keiro, could believe the deep-seated pure hate Attia seemed to radiating. Worse still, she did so while armed. 

"He'll kill me if I go back." 

"I'll kill you if you come with us," Attia said simply as she turned her back on him. Keiro had turned to walk with her. 

"Please, Attia. I'm your father, you can't send me to my death!" 

Everything froze. Everything except Cadwell's breathing. Attia's breath froze. Keiro stopped beside her. Finn and Claudia were too stunned to even move. When Attia let out her breath, Keiro touched her arm, unsure of what else to do. Was what he said true? Attia had said he was from Inside, but Keiro had never dared to imagine what Cadwell was implying. 

Attia wasn't even aware of Keiro. She'd been avoiding thoughts of Cadwell since she'd seen him. Pushing every memory as far away as possible. Avoided saying, or even thinking the words. She didn't want them to be true, and now they were. They were true and known to Keiro and Finn. 

"I told him who I was. Why he couldn't attack. I pleaded with him, but he knows he doesn't have the power. But I can't go back there anymore. Please, don't leave me behind."


	25. Chapter 25

The carriages were pulled around as promised by Cadwell, lending him some creditability to Finn and Claudia. Keiro had believed him all along, but he had been privy to part of what Attia knew of him. 

"Let's go, Finn," Claudia said when nobody else said anything. Finn looked to Keiro, but Keiro was focused on Attia. When neither responded, Finn turned to Charles and nodded. 

"Load everything," Finn directed. Charles nodded once before he turned and walked away yelling orders, his arms waving in the direction of the carriages. After he had gone, Finn and Claudia turned back to Attia, but she did not meet their stare. She had been looking away, but as she turned back, she met Keiro's gaze. When she faced Cadwell, her eyes narrowed, lips tightened, but she said nothing. 

"Attia?" Finn asked but Attia only shook her head before she turned away. Keiro looked at Cadwell for only a moment, then Finn, before he decided to follow Attia towards the carriages. With the sheer manpower Finn had at his disposal, the carriages were all loaded and ready to leave within only a few minutes. Since Keiro and Attia climbed into a carriage together, only two guards could fit in the carriage with them. Attia kept her gaze out the window of the carriage, her eyes following the movement in the sea of red and black that had formed across the empty space. It had not gotten much bigger than just the men King Damien had stationed within the palace walls. Had Finn brought the full force of his Royal Guards as well as a makeshift standing army, Attia had no doubt it would've been enough to overpower the Northern king. 

"You never said that," Keiro commented without actually saying Cadwell or his relation to her. He assumed she did not want the two guards across from them to know just yet. 

"I don't want to talk about it." 

"It's a long way to Court, Attia."

"I'm sure you can entertain yourself long enough." 

The two guards, who could hear every word perfectly, simply sat silently, pretending as thought the pair weren't having the tense conversation they were. Keiro stared at the back of Attia's head for a long moment, before he gave up and turned away with a heavy sigh. He could not imagine Attia with a father. He couldn't imagine anybody with a father actually. He never had one. Didn't have a mother either, and he didn't like to think of himself as someone who literally didn't have parents, someone It made for pure enjoyment at their misery. To have a father, and an alive one at that, was unthinkable to him. 

The rough roads of the Northern Kingdom made for a sleepless trip, and so until they reached the border and crossed into Finn's territory, Keiro and Attia were in tense silence to be endured in consciousness. Once they reached the smoother roads, however, Attia dosed off rather quickly, or at least pretended to. On the off chance she actually was asleep, Keiro left her alone despite how badly he wanted to have a real conversation with her. 

Sitting for the long trip wasn't exactly simple for him either. Between his three open wounds, which were slowly but surely bleeding through his bandages, and his inability to sit still for that length of time, Keiro quickly grew restless. Attia had noticed, his shaking, bouncing, and general moving waking her. 

"Up now?" he asked in a bitter tone, but she put her hand on his knee in an attempt to still his shaking leg. 

"Stop moving so much. You're shaking the entire carriage," she told him before she withdrew her hand and pulled open the curtain on her side of the carriage. "Where are we?" 

"How am I supposed to know?" 

"I'm asking you," she replied sharply before she turned her gaze to the guard seated directly across from her. 

"Over half way to Court." 

"I wish you would tell me why you never mentioned dear Cadwell," Keiro said and Attia turned to look at him. 

"I wish you would stop bringing it up, but apparently neither of us can get our wishes." 

"Would you just talk to me?"

"No," she answered strongly before she turned away. "I'm not talking about it, Keiro. I didn't even want to come here in the first place. I should be in Finn's summer home with a household of thirty to just serve me. No finances to worry about. No insane courtiers. None of your whores asking me where you ran off too or why you won't marry them." 

"That didn't happen," Keiro replied, but Attia let out a dry laugh. 

"You'd be surprised." Her voice had an edge to it that Keiro could detect but couldn't really place the reason it was there. Surely, she didn't miss him enough to care that much. 

"Why did you wear it?"

"I don't want to talk about anything."

"Well, I would." 

"The person who ran away and got himself kidnapped doesn't get to make the decisions in this carriage," Attia replied as she turned to meet his gaze. "That right is reserved for the person who had to travel across the entire realm against her previous plans to save him." 

"I didn't need saving."

"You were chained to wall. You needed quite a bit of saving." 

"I've gotten out of worse." 

"With somebody to help you, I'm sure." 

"By myself."

"The Prison walls opening up behind you doesn't count as help," she responded, and Keiro's face adjusted slightly. She'd caught his half-lie but part of him wasn't surprised. 

"If you didn't want anything to do with me, then why did you come at all?" 

"Just because I don't want to talk to you, doesn't mean I didn't want you to die, Keiro. We're not Inside anymore. It's not all black and white out here," she told him, obviously starting to lose her clam exterior as she continued. "There are grey areas here, Keiro. You can like somebody without following them to end of the damn world and back again. You can be nice to people without wanting something out of them. You can care without it having to mean something all the time, you know?" Attia let out a breath as she turned away from Keiro to focus on the scenery as it rolled by too quickly for her eyes to make out the individual lines of the trees and shrubbery. In the silence that followed, she tried not to focus on Keiro, but since he sat right beside her, and she was hyperaware that he was so close, she could not force him out of her thoughts. She could hear him when he wasn't talking. Feel him when they weren't touching. 

Until they were. He'd reached out to touch her arm gently, his rough fingers wrapping around the curve of her small arm. As he moved his hand slightly, she could feel the calluses from the years of fighting and near death. "I think caring implies meaning of some sort," he commented softly. Though she said she didn't want to talk about anything, she'd already started the conversation as far as he could tell. 

"Then give me your meaning," she replied. She still hadn't turned to look at him, but with her other hand, she reached across her body to touch his fingers gently. When he pushed their fingers together, she'd slipped her fingers between his. 

"I don't really know," he answered after a long moment of silence. He felt her fingers squeeze his for a second before she let go and withdrew her hand from his. At the movement, he moved closer to her on their side of the carriage, his other hand moving to her waist. He was suddenly away they had on-lookers, and yet it didn't seem to matter enough for him to stop. "But that doesn't mean it's not there," he added softly. 

"Becoming a philosopher?" she asked, and he could hear the smile even if he couldn't see it. 

"I have a lot of spare time when I'm not being raided or raiding, or…"

"Whoring around?" she asked as she turned to meet his gaze. 

"Not what I was looking for." 

"What were you looking for then?"

"Entertaining." 

Silence followed, but it wasn't tense. It wasn't uncomfortable. It wasn't anything, really. Just quiet between two people who never in their few years of co-existence had ever been quiet around one another unless one or both were sleeping. 

The quiet lasted for more or less the rest of the trip. Even when the two were climbing out of the carriage in front of Court, they were fairly quiet with only short comments to break up the silence. Side by side, they walked towards the main entrance, Finn and Claudia only a few steps in front of them. Finn glanced back at the two, content with the outcome of the sudden trip to the North. He noticed the spots of blood on Keiro's shirt, but said nothing as he continued walking forward with Claudia. 

"I need a shower," Keiro commented. 

"I'll stop by the hospital and get some clean bandages," Attia told him and he nodded. 

"Are you doing ok?" Finn asked, as Keiro and Attia came to his side. 

"Yeah, I'm alright, I guess," Keiro answered with a shrug. "It's kind of hard to be tortured when you've been pampered for too long." Only Attia and Finn had laughed, Claudia remaining silent at the comment. She understood what Keiro meant, but the idea was repulsive and she could imagine Finn and Keiro surviving such an environment, let alone Attia. But she knew better than to underestimate Attia. 

"Get some rest, Keiro," Finn told him as the four reached the point where their paths diverged. "Sleep in tomorrow," he added as he started to walk down a different hallway, his arm around Claudia's waist. Claudia's arm was around Finn's as well, Keiro noted. "And uh…" Finn paused to look back at Keiro as he cleared his throat. "You might want to stick around for a while."

"Duly noted," Keiro commented as he rolled his eyes and turned away from Finn and Claudia.


	26. Chapter 26

"If I ask you one more time, will you tell me?" Keiro asked, his tone giving off the impression that he wasn't terribly interested in Attia's answer, and yet both knew he was. He felt Attia's nimble fingers pause for a moment before she continued to slowly peel the bloodied bandages from his wounded chest. She didn't meet his gaze, nor did she say anything to suggest she'd even heard him. Both knew she had though. "I'll just keep asking, then," Keiro said as he lifted his head and intertwined his fingers to create a cradle for the back of his head. 

"Why can't you just let it be?" Attia asked with a sigh as she finished pulling off the first bandage and began working on the second. Of course, she was better at bandaging him than he was, but he also just liked the feeling of her fingertips brushing his skin as she worked slowly so as not to hurt him. 

"It's kind of a big deal to have a father, Attia," he told her, but she ignored the comment. "I don't why you never said before."

"I don't want to talk about it. That's pretty much clears that up."

"Well, why?" he asked. 

"Why can't you let it go?" 

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Why can't you let it go?" she repeated her voice suddenly stronger and louder as she turned to meet his gaze. Her fingers had stilled on his chest as her eyes hardened. He knew he was pressing his luck, and yet she could tell it hardly mattered at all. 

"Because, Attia. He's… He's your father," he replied as though that were a coherent answer. Attia rolled her eyes as she turned back to his wounds and finished pulling off the second bandage. 

"I'm aware of that, Keiro, but I fail to see your point."

"That's my entire point," he told her. When she said nothing, he continued on. "I mean, he's really your father. You have parents, or at least one parent. He's your father!"

"I know," Attia groaned before she ripped off the rest of the third bandage quickly rather than slowly peeling it as she had the other. Keiro yelled loudly as he sat up quickly at the pain. He had certainly received her point but was just stubborn enough to continue on anyway. "But he's barely my father, Keiro, so just let it go already."

"Barely counts," Keiro replied as he let out a deep breath and laid back down. "Look at the Warden. That's barely. I mean why don't you want anything to do with him?"

"You're really not going to stop," she commented as she let her hands rest on his chest and turned to meet his gaze. Though the statement was just a comment, he shook his head to answer the implied question. "I was part of the Civicry." 

"I know. You mentioned it once or twice," Keiro replied. Attia narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, but said nothing. She turned away to pick up the roll of bandage and cut off a big enough piece for his first wound. As she started to apply it, she continued.

"They'd rescued me, and that was how I joined them. One day we were raided but I was sleeping in a back cave or something. I heard a man yell out to take the men as slaves and to chain up the women and children to be sold." 

Keiro said nothing only because the scene she was describing was unfortunately rather commonplace. And he'd actually been on the side of the raiders more than once. 

"And I panicked, so I picked up a knife and I cut my hair and my face so they couldn't tell I was a girl," Attia continued after she cleared her throat. She had finished bandaging his first wound, but had not started on the next. He could feel her fingers moving against his unwounded skin, her eyes casted downward, refusing to meet his gaze. 

"Was that how you got to us?" Keiro asked and Attia nodded, finally able to look at him, even if just for a quick moment. "Why? Why do it? Why hide who you were?" 

"Because the Civircy rescued me from the man who'd bought me the last time I was sold," Attia answered. "You'd be surprised how much less terrible dog-slave is than sex-slave." 

She felt Keiro's muscle tense and freeze at her confession. She heard him swallow before he let himself take in another breath. Her fingers started moving again in random patterns when he started breathing again. 

"I didn't know," Keiro admitted when Attia said nothing further. 

"I've never told anyone," she replied. She cleared her throat as she started to work on his second wound, but he hardly noticed the feel of her touch anymore. He saw the change in her face after she'd explained what had happened to her before their lives intersected. She seemed more focused on his wounds than she had been just minutes before. 

"What does that have to do with your father?" Keiro dared to ask. 

"He left us," Attia answered. She'd finished his second wound rather quickly and had started on the third. "My mother died in childbirth, and the baby was stillborn. The Prison swallowed her in front of us. He wanted to move to another part of the Prison because it was too painful to stay there anymore. But I was little. I wasn't that little, but I had no idea what it was really like. He handed me a knife and I didn't know what to do with it. My little sister was just a baby."

"Sister?" Keiro repeated as she finished the bandaging. When she met his gaze, the faint jealousy in his face and voice weren't lost on her. 

"Five or so, I think, at the time," she answered. "We'd climbed into this cave to stay for the night. There was a noise that scared us, so he said he'd see what it was. He gave me all his weapons, even though he'd never gone a minute without them. And he never came back." 

"Maybe he didn't really mean-" Keiro had stopped when she met his gaze again. It was unlikely from the way she told the story, he knew, and yet he'd wanted to try anyway. As he moved over in the bed, she laid beside him, quickly finding the crook between his arm and chest to rest in. Clearing his throat, Keiro attempted responding a second time. "I assume you were found by traders."

"I was sold five times, and when I was older I wasn't just a servant girl anymore." 

"What happened to your sister?" 

"I never saw Kyra again." 

"When we were in the Warden's weird library thing and we were looking through those books," Keiro started but didn't finish his comment. He assumed she knew what he was hinting at. 

"Died," she said softly before she drew in a deep breath. "Maybe a few years after we were split up. She didn't last very long." 

Silence followed, but Attia did not remain still. He could feel her shifting in the crook of his chest and arm. As she moved, he lifted his arm and suspended it in the air until she relaxed against his body. When he lowered his arm again, he tightened the grip around her body. "I haven't told Finn anything, even when we could've bargained with Cadwell." 

"Thank you," Attia said softly, her lips moving against his chest. Though that wasn't the response he was looking for, it made him feel glad. 

"I meant he knows that I picked you over him." 

Attia lifted herself up, balancing her weight on one elbow as she gazed down at Keiro. He stared absentmindedly at the far wall before he met her gaze. "Why did you do that?" she asked and he only shook his head. 

"I don't know." 

"You could've called Cadwell a spy, because you knew he was from the Inside."

"That's I wanted to do." 

"But you didn't." 

Keiro didn't answer her. He rolled his shoulders a few times before he repositioned himself more to the center of the bed. When Attia laid down again, he could feel her entire body relaxing against his, and in turn his body relaxed against hers. 

Though he'd spent the last few weeks in some uncomfortable positions, namely the dungeon in which he was held, the first night he'd spent with Attia in her familiar bed was more comfortable than he'd ever expected. Everything that night was familiar in a way that had comforted him in ways nothing else could. He remembered the feel of her bed. He remembered the curves of her body and how they felt under his hand in the middle of the night when they were tangled up together, naked or otherwise. He recognized the fragrance of Attia's bedchamber, as well as the lingering smell of Finn's court in general. And so when Keiro fell asleep with Attia laying beside him, nothing short of an earthquake shattering the building's foundation could awake him the next morning. Luckily, the feel of Attia trailing kisses on his bare chest were far more attention grabbing than an earthquake could ever be. 

He was more than surprised to find her so affectionate the next morning, especially considering the conversation they'd had the night prior. Not stupid enough to waste it, Keiro turned his head to meet her kisses with his lips. It had taken only a few moments for their kiss to deepen into a kiss more reminiscent of their time together before Keiro's great escape from Court. 

With his limited strength due to his recent bout of captivity, Keiro managed to roll them over and hold himself up over her as he continued to explore her mouth with his own. When his shoulders could no longer handle the strain, he lowered himself to her, half aware he could be crushing her beneath his larger frame. Attia hardly seemed to notice, but moaned in appreciation when his hands began to roam her body. Though he could not have been gone more than a month, Attia's touch had excited him faster than it ever had before. 

"I want you," he groaned in her ear while he savored the feeling of her fingers dragging up and down his sides, careful to avoid his open wounds. Attia's lips twisted into a smirk before she pushed him to his back and straddled his hips. Though he preferred the feel of Attia's body beneath his, her above him gave his healing body much needed relief. Not to mention the better view when she saved him the extra effort of removing her clothing by doing it herself.


	27. Chapter 27

By the time the two had managed to make it to Finn's office, it was well into the afternoon. Finn was seated behind his desk as per usual, with Claudia standing by in place of some councilmen or another. A stack of papers cluttered the desktop, but when the pair strode into the room, Finn's attention was solely on his oldest friends. 

"Sleep in?" he asked curiously as he eyed Keiro. 

"Not exactly," he answered. Attia had blushed almost immediately at Keiro's lack of hesitation to keep parts of their personal life personal. She also fought a losing battle with a smile as she tried to keep her face straight while peering across at Finn. 

"Anyway," Finn commented, unsure of what else to say to Keiro. "There is one thing I'd like to confer with you about before you two disappear somewhere."

"What?" Attia asked, not thinking much of Finn's request. 

"There's a Council meeting at two. Just show up," Finn replied. 

"Ok," Keiro agreed with a shrug and started to turn back to the door eager to get away from Court even though he'd only been there a few moments. Attia, however, lingered in front of Finn's desk and narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't exactly know what to make of Finn's request and so when Keiro insisted she follow him out of the room, she complied with the release of a deep breath. 

When the door to Finn's office shut behind them, Keiro pressed Attia against the wall, his lips quickly finding hers. The gesture had been executed so quickly, Attia had been caught completely off guard. It had taken her a few moments before she responded to the kiss, letting a hand reach up to touch his cheek while one of his hands moved to her neck. His thumb traced raised bump of the fading mark where Scotts' knife had pierced her skin. When Keiro pulled away, he stared down at her even as she began to smile up at him. 

"What is that for?" she questioned, hardly able to believe he was ready to sex again already. 

"Nothing," he answered simply as he stepped back from her, letting his hand fall back to his side. She'd only looked at him until movement on her left caught her attention, and she turned to find Vega standing near the door to Finn's office. Keiro, noticing Attia's shifted attention, turned as well. At the very least, Vega was not one of Keiro's most favored individuals, and so he turned away as he rolled his eyes. Attia, however, continued to stare at him. 

"Need something?" she asked, ignoring the fact he'd probably witnessed a rather personal moment between her and Keiro. 

"Only wanted to be sure you came back safely from the North." 

"She's fine without you're misplaced concerns," Keiro assured without even looking back at him. Attia glanced at Keiro for a moment before she looked at Vega again. 

"I'm fine," she said simply before she turned away and began to walk down the hallway, Keiro beside her. 

In the time before the Council meeting, they'd managed to unpack her trunk. Of course, the task had taken longer than expected to complete due to minor distractions, including, but not limited to, Keiro's refusal to help at all. When the set time for the Council meeting had come around, the pair made it to the room. 

As they strode into the room, Attia was vaguely aware that everything about Court life seemed to change since their return from the North. Her relationship with Keiro had certainly changed, and since most of the other important players at Court could see that, they all acted differently around the pair was well. Ignoring it, Attia sat on Finn's left and Keiro sat beside her. Claudia had followed them in and taken the seat on Finn's right. 

"Why is there an extra chair?" Attia asked curiously when she noticed all the Council members had arrived and yet one chair remained empty. Finn turned to her as though to answer her question but only stared at her, lips parted, eyes slightly wider than normal. She narrowed her eyes at him before she turned her gaze to Keiro. 

"I don't know," he replied with a shrug. "I was with you all day," he reminded her, though she could have done without the lingering stares from the other councilmen. 

"Sorry, Attia," Finn said softly, pulling her attention back to him. 

"For what?" she asked, but just as the question left her lips, the doors to the council hall opened. She heard several sets of footsteps stomp into the room, but she didn't turn to see who had come in. 

"That seat there is fine," Finn declared as he motioned to the empty seat. "Guards can wait by the door," he added before looked to Attia again. "Sorry for not telling you," he added before he cleared his throat and leaned back in his seat. "You're not armed are you?" 

"Don't be ridiculous, Finn," Keiro said as he started to laugh. "She's always armed." 

Attia turned to the other side of the table but didn't let her gaze linger for very long. She didn’t eve meet Cadwell's eyes long enough for him to actually know how mad she really was. 

"I'm going to go," she declared as she started to stand up but an arm had taken hold of her wrist. She half expected it to be Keiro, but when she peered down, found Finn's fingers wrapped around her arm. 

"We have to decide what to do with him," he said as he met her stare. 

"Send him back!" 

"Attia, come on. You're being unreasonable," Finn replied and Attia scoffed as she narrowed her eyes at him. 

"I can't believe you brought him here! I can't believe you didn't tell me! I told you to leave him there, Finn." Attia's voice had taken on such a cold quality that for a second Keiro almost believed they were back Inside arguing about what to do or where to go next. 

"He would've been killed, Attia."

"That's the point, Finn," she replied coldly. The next hand on her skin was in fact Keiro's. He'd touched her upper arm and with a little force, nudged her to take her seat again. She didn't look at him since she'd also see Cadwell in the process. 

"How can you condemn a man to death who saved our lives?" 

"Quite simple, I assure you," Attia replied. She knew how it sounded to the onlookers for her to easily dismiss a man, and yet she didn't care. 

"Attia's he's your-"

"No, no, no, Finn. We don't need to start rumors," she stopped him from revealing her relation to Cadwell. "And if you tell anybody like you did out there," she threatened as she turned back to meet Cadwell's gaze. "I swear you will be tied to the next horse leaving Court, and you won't be on the saddle." 

"That's a little harsh, Attia."

"I don't think so," she replied as she looked to Claudia. 

"Keiro?" Finn asked and almost immediately, the three turned to stare at Keiro. He met Claudia's stare then Finn's before he settled on Attia, whose gaze was far more intimidating than Finn and Claudia's combined. 

"I will remain without opinion out of my own personal health decisions," Keiro replied carefully as he held Attia's gaze. 

"Oh god, you side with them don't you?" she groaned as she turned away from him. She'd even dramatically pulled her arm away from him, even though she couldn't actually get more than a few inches away from him. 

"I didn't say that!" 

"Then tell Finn to send the man to hell," she demanded as she faced him again. 

"Well," Keiro started but said nothing further. "Is it really going to kill you to listen to the man talk for a few minutes?"

"Keiro!" 

"What?" 

"Ok," Finn pulled on Attia's arm again to shift her attention. "You two can't have another fight yet. We're not done, so I need both of you to make decisions on your own accord for right now."

"Get rid of him," Attia said strongly. 

"I think you should talk to him," Keiro said and Attia only stared at him. 

"Are you joking? You'd have killed him already if we were Inside. I'd have killed him already, for that matter."

Keiro, as well as Finn, let out a dry laugh as he continued to look at her. "This is different, Attia."

"No it's not." Her voice had fallen dramatically, and it almost felt like Keiro and Attia had somehow shifted into a personal conversation. To some extent, they had, since only Keiro knew exactly who the man was to Attia and what he had done to earn her hatred. But that was why his opinion had mattered so much to her. 

"Well what do you intend to do with him then, Finn?" Attia asked with a heavy sigh as she turned to him. 

"I have an open position in my household."

"Are you out of your mind?" Attia replied sharply. "I thought you just wanted to send him to some little village or something and get rid of him around here. We'd have to see him everyday if you did that." 

"Is that a problem?" 

"What position is open?" she asked, ignoring his earlier question. Of course it was a ridiculous question since he knew well enough Attia was not fond of her father. 

"Personal messenger." 

"What about a stable boy or something outside the building?" 

"Attia, you really should just have a conversation with him," Finn suggested but she scoffed. 

"Where have you even been keeping him the last day?" she asked. 

"The empty room next to Keiro's. Apparently he hasn't been to his room since we got back." 

In any other circumstance, Attia would've had the girlish tendencies to be embarrassed, but she was far too concerned with Cadwell to even care about what Finn had said aloud in front of all the councilmen. Keiro only shifted in his seat as he avoided the councilmen's stares. 

"Just take a council vote," Attia declared as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. She waited rather patiently as the councilmen voted with surprisingly little debate between them. 

"It's four six, Attia."

"To keep him?" she nearly yelled as she stared at Finn. "Are you kidding me? He didn't do anything! He came over with a stupid paper."

"We almost went to war, if you don't remember," Finn said strongly. 

"No, Finn. We almost pretended to go to war. There is no way that little shit could've gone to war."

"Just because you and Keiro insist on something, doesn't make it true."

"Just because you and every councilmen you can find in a ten mile radius insist on something doesn't make it true either," Attia snapped back. Finn seemed to receive her point as he cleared his throat and nodded before he peered across the table at Cadwell, who'd remained surprisingly quiet while Attia ranted and raved. 

"Fine, but I still think you should talk to him."

"I don't care," Attia answered simply as she shrugged. 

"You never even told us why you're so mad at him," Finn added with a heavy sigh as he turned back to her. "Maybe if you explained what happened-"

"Tough luck, Finn," Attia replied quickly. "Nobody is going to know. So just send the man on his way." 

"He should be rewarded for what he did," one of the councilmen dared to suggest but Attia had no energy left to chastise Finn's men. She did, however, roll her eyes at the mere idea that Cadwell was capable of doing anything helpful. 

"Fine," Attia conceded. "You can give him some shiny gold coins as long as he takes them elsewhere. Agreed?"

"No," Cadwell said suddenly. Attia had frozen at the sound of his voice, so shocked he'd said anything at all. She met Finn's gaze for a moment before she could no longer stand his condescending stare. When she shifted her eyes to Claudia, she found the same look but in a more feminine form. With a deep breath that sounded more like a groan on its way out of her body, she turned to face Cadwell. With the tension brewing between Attia and Cadwell, nobody even noticed her arm slide over as her hand found Keiro's, their fingers interlocking. 

"Excuse me?" she asked as she rose an eyebrow at him. 

"Don't I deserve a say in my fate?"

"Once you crossed that border, no you don't," Attia answered simply. "King's word goes, unfortunately for you."

"Sounds like he's siding with me, Attia," Cadwell responded. It was strange to all the councilmen to hear anybody other than Finn or Keiro speak to her in such a manner. The way her eyes flashed, however, hinted she was unaccustomed to such an event as well. 

"Trust me. I think Finn would be happier if he agreed with me."

"Why is that?" Cadwell asked, keeping his tone even, so as not to sound angry. 

"Because if he keeps you here, I will remove his body parts while he's still alive," Attia replied in a mockingly chipper tone that sent chills down the spines of all the councilmen. Even Keiro found the looming threat unnerving, but he gave no hints to his emotions. Cadwell, who'd been unsure of how to go about responding to such a comment, only stared back at her, mouth open in shock. 

"That's a little harsh, Attia," Finn finally broke the silence. When Attia turned back to him she only smiled at him so as to remind him how adamant she was in her attempt to rid her life of Cadwell indefinitely. 

"I only want a chance to be in your life, Attia," Cadwell finally said. Though his comment had seemed innocent enough, Attia had stood up from her chair. In the process, she'd pulled Keiro's hand up as well, but she quickly released his hand and clenched her fingers into fists. 

"You don't deserve that," she told him rather coldly as she held his stare. "And you're damn lucky Finn had enough sense to make me have this conversation with ten witnesses," she added, indirectly referring to the councilmen. 

"I'm sure they're here just to offer their counsel." 

"They're witnesses so I don't seriously harm you," Attia replied simply as she pushed back her chair. "Get rid of him, Finn. I'm serious," she demanded as she began to walk around the table to the door. Everyone was prepared to let her leave, already sure they'd pushed her far beyond her boundaries. Cadwell, however, had enough daring nerve left in him after Incarceron to stand as well when Attia passed him. Before she could pass the threshold of the door she'd pulled open, he reached out to grab her arm. 

"What about your sister?" he asked quickly, before she could break his hold and get away. The instant shock that filled the room was enough to distract her if she hadn't been so suddenly overcome with more pain than she thought humanly possible to bear. Keiro seemed to recognize that immediately, and so the sound of his chair scrapping the ground as he stood pulled her attention for only half a second before she look into Cadwell's eyes again. 

"Dead," she spat at him so coldly Keiro was somewhat reassured that Attia never really hated him as completely as she'd claimed before. The hate she showed towards Cadwell was beyond any discomfort she ever had with him or Finn, or even Claudia at some point. "What do you think happened to her?" she demanded loudly. "She was five! Six maybe and you abandoned us! What the fuck did you expect to hear? I couldn't stay with her. We were bought and sold dozens of times. You knew what kind of life you condemned us to, so don't stand here and beg for gold coins because you gave up your cushiony life in the North!"

"Come on, Attia," Keiro nudged her as he walked passed Cadwell to get to her side. He touched her arm and tried to pull her towards the door, which had interrupted her for only a moment before she shook off his hand and returned the full force of her pent up anger to Cadwell. 

"I can't believe you had the nerve to follow me here. I don't give a fuck what Finn or his council say. You'd better be gone from Court by dawn. I don't ever want to see you again." 

"No," Cadwell said strongly. Keiro had wanted to step between the two, but he thought better of standing before Attia when she eyes flared the way they had. "I lost you once, I don't intend on doing it again. I don't care how angry you are."

"Lost me?" Attia repeated. "That's rich. I'm pretty sure the word you're looking for is abandoned. Left behind. Forgot, maybe." 

"I never forgot you," Cadwell replied strongly. "Or Kyra. Or your mother." 

"Stop," Attia demanded as she shut her eyes. Only Cadwell and Keiro were close enough to see the moisture that gathered in her eyes. The sight left Keiro completely unsure of what to do. He'd never seen Attia so utterly broken. There had been a time when he'd believed a single red light in the corner of room could send her reeling into the depths of insanity. He'd never imagined all it would take was one man to singlehandedly destroy the strongest, most hard headed, determined, and in short unbreakable, woman he'd ever known. And there she was, praying the tears would not fall as though they would be acid on her skin. 

The silence that had formed between them lingered for only a second longer since Cadwell spoke again. "I heard all the rumors of the prisoners who escaped. Who opened up the door and tamed the Prison. I never dreamed that you were one of them." 

"Well, maybe that's because you left me to die," Attia commented, but as soon as the words left her lips, she knew she shouldn't have spoken at all. The broken up words betrayed her metal exterior and revealed her as a crying, broken woman in front of all of Council as well as Finn and Keiro. Before she was forced to endure the stares of anybody in the room, she finally fled in Keiro's arm, but didn't even bother shutting the door behind her.


	28. Chapter 28

She wanted to push him away. To yell and scream until he finally left her to wallow in her own misery. And yet, she didn't. She didn't want to know Keiro would leave her in broken pieces, and she certainly didn't need to tempt him to do so. And so she just let him hold her as she pretended not to cry. There was something about crying that made her think she was weak and useless. So she did her best to stop the salty tears from falling, but nothing seemed to work. For some reason, when she felt Keiro smooth her hair down and press is lips to the back of her head, she felt more tears silently fall from the corners of her eyes. 

She wanted to say words. Any words. Wanted the silence to go away, but she couldn't think of anything coherent to say. "Say something," she said simply before she swallowed, baffled at how broken her voice sounded still. 

She felt Keiro's chest violently jump and fall in the split second he laughed at her comment. "Do you want to steal a couple horses and ride out to Finn's summer house without telling anybody?" 

Without even thinking, she laughed. And when the comment wasn't funny anymore, she laughed again as she pushed herself up from his embrace and sat up on her bed. She met his gaze, fully aware her eyes were red and puffy, but didn't care anymore. "I'd settle for anywhere but here," she admitted and Keiro grinned at her as he nodded. He reached up and with his thumb he stroked her cheek. She felt his thumb wipe away a tear she hadn't even known was there and wanted to be disgusted that she'd cried so hard in front of him, but the feeling refused to surface. 

"I know you don't want to talk about it," he said as he pulled his hand away from her face. She dropped her gaze at his words, but said nothing to stop him. "And I know you don't want anything to do with him."

"If I let you say this now, you promise not to bring it up again?" she asked as she met his gaze. He drew in a deep breath before he nodded. "Then go ahead." 

"I think you should at least try to talk to him because he's your father."

"You've said that already," she pointed out and he nodded in agreement. 

"But I don't think you understand what that means to me," he replied, earning an confused look from her. "You're not metal," he finally said in as blunt of terms as possible. When she peered down again, she noticed him fiddling with his metal fingernail most couldn't even tell was there. "You're all human with human parents. You're all blood and flesh, Attia." 

For a moment, she wasn't the broken one between them. She didn't know what to say to him, and so she leaned forward and put a hand on his cheek, pulling his gaze upward. Before he said anything further, she pressed their lips together in a short but heated kiss. When she pulled away, she kept their faces close. "Metal or not, you're all man to me, Keiro. Parents or not. Wires or not. All warm flesh and bone." Her eyes were closed, so she didn't see the sudden smile that had taken shape across his lips, but when he kissed a second time, she definitely felt it. 

For the next couple days, Keiro and Attia expertly avoided courtiers, Royal Guards, and councilmen. They left Court early in the morning before the sun rose and returned in the dead of night. The first day, they took two horses and went as far as they could as fast as they could as though following smoke in the wind they never had a chance of catching. They stopped somewhere in a forest and enjoyed its quiet privacy. The trees didn't make noise like they did Inside. They didn't crackle or short circuit. They were still except when the wind pushed its branches and leaves. They were predictable and didn't watch when they explored each other's bodies slowly and passionately. 

The second day, they only took one horse and rode together the way they had on the Inside. And yet everything about that day was different from their ride together Inside. They rode on grass and road instead of hard Prison floor made of a mesh of metal and concrete. They watched the sky instead of the vast emptiness of nowhere to go. Keiro kept one arm securely and tightly wrapped around her instead avoiding all possible contact. Everything about that day had seemed to be perfect including their second outside rendezvous. Deciding two days of nothing by smiles and laughs was enough, the returned to Court when the sun was still up. 

Blatantly advertising their relationship, they walked back into Court hand in hand. As other passed them by, they were informed several times that the King had been searching for them high and low for the last two days. Rather than even bother with changing and cleaning, Attia lead the way to Finn's office. As soon as they stepped into the door, however, silence fell as every set of eyes fell on them. 

"You wanted to see us?" Keiro asked rather obnoxiously as he held Finn's stare. 

"Where have you been?" Finn asked simply as he narrowed his eyes at Keiro, then at Attia. "And why are you covered in dirt and grass?" 

"We've been out," Keiro answered. Finn nodded once before he noticed their intertwined hands. When he met their stares again, he nodded once more but with a warmer smile. 

"Well, Cadwell is packed to leave Court, Attia, but wouldn't leave until he saw you again. Unfortunately, you two are somewhat difficult to find when you're not here apparently." 

"Where is he going?" Attia asked, surprising even Finn, who only stared back at her. After what had been revealed in their blow-up, he knew the reasons Attia had for wanting to get rid of him as quickly as possible. Now that she was interested in his future, he wondered exactly what had happened on her two days away with Keiro. 

"I don't know," Finn answered truthfully. "We gave him enough money to keep him alive for a while and a horse. Everything else is his decision." Finn turned to a messenger standing off in the room before he motioned his arm. "Send for Cadwell, please," he said to the boy before turning back to Attia and Keiro. "Care to say where you went?"

"We don't know," Keiro answered with a shrug. "A forest and there was this little town with a farm." 

"Really? A town with a farm and some trees?" Finn repeated as he stared at Keiro. 

"Whatever," Keiro replied as he shrugged and the two laughed. 

"Well, in any case, I'm…" Finn started but trailed off as he looked at Attia and shrugged. "I'm glad you at least look happy after everything." 

Attia had started to respond but the door opened behind her and she paused. When she turned she found Cadwell stepping into the room in front of Finn's messenger. "You're back," he said simply as he stared across the room at Attia. 

"Yes," she answered with a short nod. 

"I didn't want to leave without seeing you again."

"Finn told me," she replied, but silence followed. "Where are you going?" 

"I don't know," he answered. "I have some gold, so I guess just until I find a place I like." 

Attia nodded slowly as she stared down at the floor. Keiro knew she was debating something within herself, and when she peered up at Cadwell again, she'd made her decision. "There's an empty Manor in the Primstone Mountains under Finn's control. It's run down so it'll take some work to make livable, but it's empty if you want to go there." 

"Attia?" Finn asked when she came to a pause. "What are you doing?" 

"Giving him your empty house," she answered softly and Finn nodded as he stared at her. He let out a breath before he motioned for another of his men to approach him. 

"Do you have the authority to give me one of the King's homes?" Cadwell asked tentatively. 

"Of course," Attia answered, but didn't seen the glared Finn had shot up at her from behind. 

"It doesn't seem to appear that way," Cadwell replied and Attia turned back to Finn. 

"Fine," Finn said with a shrug. "I can spare two Royal Guards to escort you to the mountain manor, as well as a bit more gold to help along the renovations."

"No, that's so much more than you have to provide me with," Cadwell protested as he shook his head. 

Attia rose an eyebrow at him before she turned to look at Keiro, who laughed and nodded. He looked at Cadwell before he spoke. "I don't think you quite understand the implications of having been offered such a housing arrangement," Keiro said as diplomatically as possible. "It would be in your best interest to just accept it and run along before somebody changes their mind." 

Cadwell cleared his throat as he nodded and shifted his gaze to Attia. "Then I would be honored to live in the… what? Perfect Mountains?"

"Primstone," Attia corrected and Cadwell nodded. 

"That's what I meant." 

"I'll make the arrangements," Finn said, but Attia and Cadwell didn't pay him much attention. 

"I'm glad you saw me again, Attia," Cadwell said gently as he stepped towards her. When she didn't move away from him or seem in the least bit uncomfortable with his proximity, he took another step towards her. "And I'm so happy that you seem to have forgiven me."

"I haven't forgiven you," Attia declared simply. Cadwell nodded once, but the smile remained on his face as though her response actually entertained him. 

"Duly noted," he replied before daringly to place a kiss on her forehead. She didn't respond negatively so he smiled at her again before he stepped away from her so as not to press his luck. "Should I expect chances to earn such forgiveness in the future?" 

Attia only stared at him before she drew in a deep breath. "Just… wait for an invitation to come to Court."

"Hope… or wait?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. 

She narrowed her eyes at him, unnerved at how his picked apart things she said. Yet she was vaguely aware she could be the same way. "Wait," she said, the implications of her answer left unsaid. She walked passed him, Keiro close behind, and left the room without saying anything further. 

The day after Cadwell left, King Damien's men arrived at Court with the promised peace treaty. Though Finn had not wanted to admit Attia and Keiro had been right about the supposed threat of war, the peace treaty did seem to lend their theories some credibility. Ignore their stares as much as possible, Finn signed the treaty in front of Council, who made a second copy of the treaty to keep in the Realm. 

"I think it's best to throw a ball in celebration of your victory, Your Grace," one of the councilmen had suggested, seemingly in passing but the idea stuck in Finn's mind. As he peered across the table, he met only Keiro and Attia's glances. Though his hand touched Claudia's, he didn't look in her direction. He nodded with a shrug before he rose from his seat without saying anything. Though it was somewhat odd behavior, nobody said anything. 

"Are you ok?" Claudia asked curiously as she walked beside him to his office after the conclusion of the meeting. 

"Yes, I'm fine," he assured her as he pushed open the door and let her wander into the room first. The few minutes that followed a council meeting always left his office uncharacteristically empty. Blissfully, peacefully, quietly empty. Before somebody could come along and shatter that, Finn pressed his lips to Claudia's, stealing a kiss while he could. 

"You're different now," she laughed when he'd pulled away. 

"I feel better after everything with Keiro and going to the North. That was a terrible idea." 

"Don't let Attia or Keiro hear you say that," Claudia laughed as she followed him to his desk. He laughed and nodded in agreement as he plopped down into his chair behind the desk. As per usual, his desk was piled high with several important things that all required his attention all the time, but he just stared at all the papers until he peered up at Claudia again. 

"Will you wear that blue and silver dress for the ball?" he asked and Claudia narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Does that mean you're going to have one?"

"Yeah, I think so," he mused as he nodded. "I think we need one." 

"Sure, I'll wear the blue and silver one," she agreed. When he smiled at her, she just smiled back, enjoying the sudden carefree nature he'd taken on in the last few minutes. Unsure of how long it would last, or how long their privacy would last, she bent down to capture his lips with hers for a second time.


	29. Chapter 29

"Hold still," Keiro chided as he tried to lace up the corset of Attia's dress. 

"You're pulling too tight," she told him through gritted teeth, but he mostly ignored her as he continued yanking the ribbons and lacing them through their small eyelet openings. She was suddenly reminded why she hated the corset dresses and all the formal reasons to wear them, regards of how much Keiro eventually appreciated them at the end of the night. "I'm not staying for this ball the whole night if you're going to lace it that tight," she threatened, but heard Keiro laugh in response. She could even hear the smug smirk across his face. In the back of her mind, she knew he'd turned that into a good thing and was determined to lace it up even tighter if possible. 

"I'd have been done by now, if you'd stop wiggling," Keiro told her, and she huffed as she tried to laugh. Apparently breathing was something reserved for women not wearing corsets. 

"You two ok?" Finn asked cautiously as he wandered into the room. Neither had even heard him let himself in. 

"Keiro's trying to torture me for a few hours tonight, apparently." 

"It's not even that tight," Keiro replied as he managed to tie a sloppy bow with his too large fingers. 

"You can't feel it!"

"Maybe you're just bigger," he replied and she whipped around to glare at him. 

"Yeah, call me fat, Keiro. That'll get you lucky tonight," she commented sarcastically. Keiro gave her a cold look before he turned back to his own fancy garments for the night. He was to wear the traditional colors of the Realm, since he was the High Duke. Finn only laughed at the pair as he looked between them. "Why are you here, Finn?" 

"I bought a new ring for Claudia," he admitted easily as he reached into his pocket and held out the ring. Attia picked it up from his palm before she peered at the singular diamond set in the gold metal. "I'm going to ask her to marry me tonight." 

"At the ball?" Keiro asked as he turned to look at the ring briefly, then at Finn. "In front of everyone?" 

"Is that not good?" 

"It's fine," Attia assured him as she narrowed her eyes at Keiro. "It's not like she'll say no." 

"And if she does, you'll get a few takers out there anyway."

"Keiro!" Attia chastised him before she handed the ring back to Finn. "Ignore him. He's being a shit today. It'll be perfect, Finn, I'm sure."

"Thanks," Finn replied as he pocketed the ring and smiled at Attia. "And I specified a different wine for you tonight. It's sweeter and milder, so maybe you'll like that one better."

"I'm not drinking any wine, Finn," Attia assured him as she stared at him sternly. "Do you remember what happen last time I drank wine?"

"You spit it up on Keiro's coat."

"And slept with him. It's terrible," she added as she turned away to take a seat at her vanity table. 

"Don't get married, Finn," Keiro said in a monotone voice as he turned to glare at the back of Attia's head. "Women are all evil." 

Finn laughed as he met Keiro's gaze. Despite his fake warnings, Keiro smiled at his oath brother before embracing him. "Don't kill each other until after I ask her, alright?" Finn said as he started to step back towards the door. 

"No promises," Keiro replied bitterly, but Attia smiled at him through her mirror as she clasped her necklace around her neck. After Finn had left the room, Keiro approached her to stand behind her as she remained sitting. Gently, he pulled her hair from the chain of the necklace before he met her eyes in the mirror. "I like that dress." 

"I hope not too much," she replied. 

"Why? Because you won't ever wear it again?" he asked as she rose from her seat and turned to look up at him. 

"Because you'll probably rip it tonight when you're drunk," she replied. Keiro couldn't stop the laugh that seemed to form in his throat immediately. Instead of a smug grin, he smiled at her as he put his hands on her waist. "You ripped the last dress, too, and it's quite expensive to get them repaired, you know?" 

"I've been more patient lately," he replied in his own defense as he offered her his arm. She did put her arm through his as they started walking towards the door. Once they reached the back entrance to the ballroom, they found Finn already doting on Claudia, who did arrive in the blue and silver dress he so loved on her. 

"Where's Casper?" Finn asked as he turned away from Claudia and leaned towards a nearby Royal Guard. 

"He's been gone a lot lately," Attia commented as she and Keiro stepped up to Finn and Claudia. 

"Probably chased off his date right before they got here," Keiro said and Claudia laughed. 

"Maybe he already slept with her and needed to find someone else," she suggested in return. 

"That's real funny, Claudia," Casper's voice filled the room, and the four turned to find him walking towards them with a pretty brunette on his arm. Attia and Claudia were pleasantly surprised to realize it was the same girl he'd been chasing before their trip to the North, but neither Keiro nor Finn noticed. "That's not what happened at all." 

"Where have you been the last month?" Finn asked as he stared across at his step-brother. "I haven't seen you once." 

"I've been busy," Casper replied. 

"Have you?" Keiro asked and Casper seemed to become visibly annoyed at their poking. 

"They're just asking, Casper," the girl laughed as she rubbed his arm in an attempt to calm him. "No need to get all worked up already."

"I'm not worked up," he replied, his tone wildly different when his words were directed at Lady Anne than at any of the four who knew him best. "They just don't appreciate my efforts around here." 

Attia scoffed at the comment but Keiro had tugged on her arm before she could comment. "That's ridiculous," she muttered and Keiro only nodded in agreement. 

"The High Duke, Lord Keiro, and Her Grace, Lady Attia," the announcer proclaimed before any more conversation could be had. Keiro and Attia stepped around Finn and Claudia to get to the entrance. When the stepped into the ballroom, the paused for a moment as custom dictated, before they descended the few steps by the entrance. Once they reached the bottom, the stepped off to the side and turned back for the rest of the entrances. 

"Prince Casper and the Lady Anne." The two stepped into the ballroom next and followed the same process. Keiro and Attia could hear the whispers that had broken out when Lady Anne was the woman who appeared on Casper's arm. 

"His Grace, King Giles, and Her Grace, Lady Claudia," the announcer spoke louder as he dramatically motioned to the entrance as Finn and Claudia stepped around the corner. Rather than arm in arm as the two pairs before them had entered, they simply held hands, and Attia found the gesture a sweet break from custom that had a tendency of wearing them down. 

The customary speech was give, but Finn had shortened it quite a bit, preferring to sit and simply watch rather than ramble about the victory of a peace treaty he actually did surprisingly little to obtain. When the first course of the meal was brought out, the majority of the dancing area cleared while people made their way to their seats for the start of dinner. 

To her surprise, Attia did actually like the white wine Finn had picked for her, but hardly anybody had a chance to try the food or wine before Finn stood up with his glass in hand. Quiet washed over the room quickly as everyone turned to look up at their King, who appeared ready to speak. 

"Even though the peace treaty with the Northern Kingdom is the reason for this celebration, I confess I had another motive for deciding to have this ball," he started as he peered around the room, his eyes trailing up and down the two long tables. "As most of you should know, the reason the Northern Kingdom had been such a problem was their king did not like the rumors of who was to be my Queen. But now that all that's been worked out, I feel I should say that all those rumors had been true."

Claudia had hit Finn in his leg beneath the table as she lowered her face. She picked up her glass and pretended to take a drink though she was just shielding her reddening face from the hundreds of onlookers. "What are you doing?" she asked through gritted teeth, but he only beamed down at her. 

"Stand up," he told her as he reached down to pull on her arm. 

"No," she replied in a laugh, but he only repeated himself as he pulled harder. When she caved, she was blushing more than she cared for. "What are you doing?" she repeated as she stared up at him, so very aware that everyone in the room could hear and see them clearly. 

Finn didn't answer her as he reached into his pocket. In the few seconds that he retrieved the ring, asked the question, and waited for her answer, the entire room seemed to still. And when Claudia breathed her answer, the room remained perfectly silent. Only when Finn grinned and put the ring on her finger, did anyone even know the answer. When they kissed, for the first time in front of an audience, Attia felt Keiro's hand reach across her leg to find her fingers. 

But by then, the room had erupted in claps, applause and cheering. And no one noticed when Keiro stole a kiss from Attia.


End file.
